Plenty of things go in and out of style and popularity, and if the past couple of years have taught us anything it’s that the times are always changing.

That’s why things like these 16 – which people say will always be awesome – are rare.

 

16. The best bad feeling.

When you finish reading an amazing book, and as you close the cover you get that feeling of immense satisfaction tinged with a tiny bit of sadness that it ended.

Even worse if it’s an amazing book with an amazing ending that you feel depressed for the next few days because you will never meet these characters again.

15. We can all agree that cancer will always suck.

When you find out the chemo worked!

14. The simple things.

A nice shower after a long day. A satisfying meal after fasting. A nice warmth feeling sitting in the sun on a cold winter day. A nice cool breeze sitting in a tree shade on a hot summer day.

I think those would do me… simple things…

13. All too rare.

Helping people just to help them.

12. The best night.

Clean sheets.

11. Hello, dopamine.

That feeling when something you’ve been struggling to understand ticks over in your brain.

The sudden, wonderful rush when the world becomes just a little bit bigger. Sometimes I swear I can feel my brain light up when I know I’m finally on the right track with figuring something out.

10. You chug it all straight down.

drinking water when really thirsty.

9. Nothing like it.

Having someone you love tell you they’re really proud of you.

My mom was taken to a hospice just last week and I visited her yesterday where she gleefully told me of how often she’s told all kinds of people there (caregivers, other hospice folks and her guests) about me, my personhood and how proud she is of me.

I think she’s content with the idea of me being okay to handle myself when she one day is gone and this kinda confirmed it for me.

8. The best thing in the world.

Sleep.

7. It’s electric.

The first time you hold the hand of the person you like.

6. There’s something about it, for sure.

Night sky filled with stars.

that’s one of the better points of working nights in a small rural town.

At the end of my shift I can look up and see a night sky full of stars.

5. Whatever that means.

Realizing you still have time!

There’s lots of applications of this but my favorite is when I spontaneously wake up and check my clock only to realize I have 2 more hours to sleep

4. If you can manage it…

3 day weekends

I work a 4 day, 10hr schedule so every weekend is a 3 day weekend. That rush never fades.

3. Don’t take it for granted.

Good health.

The number of times this year I’ve had a tough week then realized how many of my friends (okay, three) would give everything they have to just to hear a doctor tell them they don’t have cancer.

I can’t take that for granted anymore.

2. The place you want to be.

Taking a nap and waking up to see you’ve teleported to your bed.

Although I’m not sure that happens too often after you get past a certain age…

1. A basic human right.

Clean drinking water.

I am fortunate enough to have awesome water straight from a well. It’s even soft enough that I don’t need a water softener or filters, even though I still do. You can drink it straight from the outside spigot and it’s good. Everyone on the planet should have the human right to this.

I don’t disagree with any of these, so they must be true.

If only more things could fall on this list!