Ross Gay’s Book of Delights (2019) gave a platform to those small moments of joy peppered throughout everyday life. Gay handwrote a delight everyday for one year. In the process, he noted the necessity of actively making room in one’s life for delight. Recognizing what you take delight in is a practice of gratitude and love. It’s a simple invitation to be mindful of what would ordinarily be overlooked. There is something spectacular about the warmth and satisfaction found in the seemingly mundane parts of life. I think that the following outlines the very best of life. 

Here are some delights from myself, my friends, family and acquaintances:

From me:

sitting criss-cross applesauce 

when you’re passively listening to music and then a song is so good that it captures your attention

stepping into a sunspot on hardwood floor

when a good song that you haven’t heard in a while comes up on the radio 

the fact that honey is sold in bear-shaped bottles

ladybugs

when the sun makes the top of your head warm

learning a new word

updating old friends on how your pets are doing

my uncle sends me a photo every time he uses the whitman college mug i got him

the plu code system and those who know it

when my dad sends me photos of my dog (he recently walked through freshly cut grass, turning his paws green)

getting good feedback from a professor

the smell of leaving your window open during the spring or summer

when people are accidentally matching and someone else points it out

cloud watching and guessing what shapes they look like

when you didn’t know the moon was going to be particularly special that evening and you just happen to see it and it’s crazy big or something 

the metaphor that something can “scratch your brain”

when people write notes on their palm

exchanging glances with someone

kissing someone on the cheek

the groupings of primary colors and secondary colors

the idea of an after school snack

the sharpness of the air when you’re ice skating

homemade applesauce

the feeling of settling down for a nap

when someone has a blanket around their shoulders and they hug you and encapsulate you in the blanket 

eating a big bowl of pho 

when the brita is full

when you’re in public and there’s music playing and you see a stranger singing along to a song that you also know

when it’s weirdly bright at night after it snows because the moonlight is reflecting off of the snow

From Leo S:

listening to the turkeys gobble in the evening

walking in the fog

parallel parking on the first attempt

From Ozzie R:

when all of your folded shirts perfectly show the design that’s on the shirt

the streaks left by freshly vacuumed carpet

bed sheets straight out of the dryer

when you push the vacuum over a spot of dirt and it makes a bunch of loud crackles 

the hollow sound of stomping on the floor reminds me of my cousins’ houses in la

From Chloe W:

showering after spending all day at the beach and then going somewhere after

when you’re sewing and all the seams line up perfectly

when your friend who works at bon app brings you home fries because he knows you like fries

guessing what states are on the back of quarters with your friends

seeing people hype up each other’s outfits 

From Anika M:

when you’re facing the sun and your eyes are closed and you see red as the light goes through your eyelids

when you flip an egg successfully

taking a deep breath

From Hanna K:

clipping your nails

drinking cold water and feeling it in your throat

experiencing solar eclipse with cat who died one year later

From Emma J: 

biking past someone’s house and being able to tell what they are cooking for dinner

how sunlight filters through ferns

From Kaitlynne J:

finding one more chocolate in the bag after you thought you ate them all

seeing a new growth on a plant

From Karsten B:

walking outside for the first time in a day

From Alyssa E:

the donut that is always sitting on the dashboard of a subaru in the douglas parking lot

From Amy A:

smelling the air after it just rained

From Natalie T:

when you shave your legs and then get in bed a rub them together like a cricket

From Kylie B:

eating shin ramen

From Juan S:

the baby duckies following their mom on campus!!

From Carsten WB:

finding a frog on the side of the road

From Sile S:

the smell of hot coffee in the morning

From Pranav S:

finishing a glass of water

getting into bed and feeling ur comforter on ur toes

From Jack T:

finishing a paper one minute before the due date

having a quick chat with the bon app staff in cleveland 

From Yardena M:

catching a snowflake on your tongue

From Christian WB:

riding the train

From Hallie E:

rediscovering an old song i used to love and still knowing all the words (-,:

From Isaiah B:

hard wood

hot lattes

having unlimited flex

3 stocking my friends in smash

going to the gym for THA PUMP

putting on a clean pair of darn tough socks

From Katherina C:

putting on my contacts and i can see everything super duper clear

From Connor W:

hardwood floor

From Joe J:

when you take your socks off and your feet don’t get like freezing!

From Ravi N:

when the music and the sun just work together all of a sudden

From Katie D:

when you’re near a creek and it smells like wet rocks and damp soil

when your friend gifts you a rock

eating a watermelon slice with juice dripping down your elbows

From Olivia T:

the smell outside after it rains

From Lee T:

picking out earrings for the day

the lilacs in the spring

things shaped as hearts

From Sam W:

drinking a hot beverage and having it warm your entire chest

From Abby M:

my friend likes to view sunsets upside down through her legs and i think that’s beautiful 

sleeping so soundly that it leaves you with sheet marks

From Katie D:

finding a new song you love

parking perfectly 

From Miguel C:

smoking my brains out

From Will G:

smelling coffee from the coffee maker 🙂

natural light in my bedroom

asmr of keys while doing schoolwork

being reminded of loved ones via random things

From Lexi D:

when someone is crossing the street in front of you and does the little walk jog

From Allison W:

hitting all the green lights

From Lili M:

rain and rainstorms

From Anna A:

curling up on a sunny spot on the couch

From Ben W:

dandelions 

From Kaamna R:

when the ratio of coffee to milk is just right 

cooking a meal and then getting a moment regardless of how busy that day was and enjoy something i’ve created in peace – delight in nourishment

From Chris S:

putting on warm clothes out of the dryer 

getting out of the car and stretching after a long drive

taking off your shoes after a long hike 

peeling the plastic off of new things 

when you send an email and realize there’s an error and click the undo button before the email goes through

From Molly Jo M:

any soft friendly dogs you can pet. like when you’re walking and you say hi can I pet your dog? and the dog is happy to be pet

From Ellie VG:

when i get an unexpected hello from an acquaintance 

when i smile on accident 

From Pearl C:

when i’m outside running in the morning and i can feel the warm sun against my skin

when you can just exist in silence with someone