This post was inspired by magnificent play “Every Brilliant Thing”
I would like to add things to list as long as I live, hoping the new brilliant things never cease to come at my door.
There may be some repetitions, if you catch some please let me know.
If you live a long life and get to the end of it without ever once having felt crushingly depressed, then you probably haven’t been paying attention.
Read the above sentence again.
In the play, a child starts writing down every brilliant thing in the world to keep someone alive, after his mother tries to commit a suicide. The list is his attempt to give reasons for mum to live. I think it is profound. Writing down this list made me feel at peace with myself.
To the list:
Hearing a beautiful song for the first time
My curiosity
Asking questions
Sharing what I know with the world
Being cooked for, love that feeling
Coffee
Discovering a new book, not knowing that it is the one you were subconsciously looking for
Grinding coffee first thing in the morning
Smell of coffee
Smell of grass after rain
Smell of my wife’s neck
Doing absolutely nothing but just hugging for hours with my wife
Knowing that your partner thought and took care of a thing that you must have done already
Making to-do lists
Watching a film listening to a podcast, reading a book that teaches you something
Swimming early when the sea is like a blanket and no one is around
Gifts that you actually want and didn’t ask for (from the play)
Silence
Silence again
Silence, I hope it is emphasized enough
Helping a friend solve a problem
Helping a friend solve nothing but listening to her for hours then see she relieved stress and anxiety
Listening to Hasta La Raiz, Lost on You, Colors
Watching something that moves you from one emotion to another
Sex
Peeing after sex
Rocking on a rocking chair
Focusing on my breath
Lying on your back in the sea
Listening to one of my beloved friends
Seeing your friend succeed
Being old enough to give pocket money
Watching without-words trip videos like this
Reading existential quotes on a rocking chair
Deep reading on some topic I have in my mind for a while
Seeing my nephew’s videos, watching him trying to walk
Watching ceiling aimlessly and thinking nothing
Working out chest
Working out shoulders
Getting your lesson/meeting cancelled
Watching rain aimlessly listening to jazz
Befriending an author while you are enjoying your own solitude
Crossing the Bosphorus by ferry
Watching a cinema in a saloon where there is lying chairs
Immersing myself in creative activities
Talking to someone who really can listen to what you say
Shitting after not being able to go to the toilet for 2-3 days
Getting a good back rub
Eating Belgian chocolate
Getting a good massage
Spending money on a splendid experience
Going to one of the favorite singer’s concert for the first time (Thanks Yaşar)
Eating a fabulous barbequed hamburger
Long drives with endless music
The tininess of a baby’s foot
Eating uncooked cake filling
Making my wife stop smoking
Spending my money on something that makes a difference
Iced flat white with four shots of espresso
Crossing off items on to-do list
Giving someone a compliment
Being interested at someone and giving all your attention
Sitting in a café and people-watching
The smell of freshly baked bread
The number 7 and 17
Taking notes on videos, films, books, and songs to remember what I would like to
Avocado and poached eggs on toast
Farting in a musical way
Sharing my notes of worthy things with the people worth sharing
Sunsets
Donating money/clothes or other things to someone in need
Asking about other people’s opinions on some topic
Eating delicious things from different cuisines
The Midnight in Paris, Leon and Before Sunrise re-watches
Reading a good book on a snowy morning, snuggled under a cozy blanket, with a hot cup of coffee while you rub your feet against your partner
Watching a great movie for the first time and falling in love with it
Loving something so much that you want to meet it for the first time again
Canoe on a quiet lake/sea
Powerful live performances
The sound of fresh, crisp snow crunching under your boot
Lists
Early morning gym
Early morning walks
Meaninglessness of world
Empty cafes and bookstores
Smell of old books
Sleeping naked
Falling asleep as soon as you get on a plane, waking up when you land and feeling like a time-traveler (I only wish. From the play)
Old songs from the teenage years
Sunrise
Rainbows
Committing to a goal
Performing at your best and crushing the deadlines
Cheese
Cold weather, the feeling of cold on my body
Being the only customer in your favorite coffee shop
Finding out great great great books you have not read yet
Quotes that teach you more than you lessons in college
Conversations that excites you
The smell of fresh air after a rain fall
Listening to Ray Charles but in a quiet way
Realizing that you might truly never understand some things
Friends who love and know much cooler things than you
Memories of childhood you remember more vividly than yesterday
The silence around 11pm-2 am. Uff, and 2 am - 5 am. Choose which one fits you.
Solutions and problems but especially problems
Asking questions, good ones
Watching someone you love doing something they love and the contagious joy & happiness in their eyes
The sound of waves as they reach the shore
Comfortable shoes
Endlessness of things to learn
Reading something which articulates exactly how you feel but lacked the words to express yourself (from the play)
When someone actually reads the books you give them (from the play)
To be continued…