mad meandering

life is all about the in-between moments.

life is not about the mountaintops, it’s the moments in between.

as amazing as our best moments are, the moments we spend weeks looking forward to — that trip you’ve been planning for, or the day you’re moving to a new city — those moments are not what make up your life. the everyday, the in-between, is how you spend your life.

i think it’s important, especially when you can’t help but feel drowned in the monotonous rhythm of life, to take a step back and make sure you let yourself feel alive. really feel it. we need to remind ourselves that we are not meant to spend every day acting as a productive machine, but as a thinking, reflective human.

i know i need this reminder, which is why i’ve come up with a list of things that consistently make me feel alive, energized, and content.

what do you do in your everyday that makes you feel alive?

here’s my (non-exhaustive) list to help you think about it.

• feeling my legs cozy under the covers in bed
• feeling the breeze from the open window in my room on my face
• bike rides
• planting my feet on the ground each morning, feeling grounded, connected, and at home with the earth
• my morning routine of making breakfast, sitting in silence, reading, and NOT looking at my phone
• building new relationships
• sweating
• listening to podcasts because they make me feel connected to others
• the way the sunshine comes through
• yoga
• driving with windows down
• music by florence + the machine
• sitting in a coffee shop hearing the hum of people living their lives in the background
• hiking
• looking out the window on a rainy day
• standing outside on a rainy day, feeling the drops hit my face
• photography
• talking with strangers

‘how we spend our days, is, of course, how we spend our lives.’

[annie dillard]

tell me what makes you feel alive in the comments below.

xo, mad