When the dog bites, when the bee stings: Tell me about a few of your favorite things

[Brexiter]

During the holiday season, grief and stress hit hard. As a result, it is important to find things that bring you comfort or joy.

I realized something in the past couple of years: I have spent way, way too much time failing to cherish or treasure life’s small, seemingly meaningless pleasures. The older I get, the more I find myself seeking these things out, especially when loved ones aren’t physically around anymore to give you the comfort you may have been accustomed to.

So, I present a short list of my favorite things that bring me to a good place. And please, comment with the small things in life that you enjoy because shared joy is double joy.

• A singular sigh from a dog as it settles to sleep
• The sound of a Zippo lighter clicking open
• Roulette, accompanied by impeccable drink service
• The first whoosh of cold air that hits you as you emerge, sated and happy, from the warmth of a humming restaurant in wintertime
• The perfect sweater
• Standing up on a surfboard after multiple failed attempts
• A vague hint of men’s cologne in an empty elevator
• The impulse to drink a glass of milk with a slice of cake
• First kisses with charming strangers
• Double-decker bookstores or libraries
• The way the colors of the sky and ocean blend together when you first open your eyes after a long nap on the beach
• Hammocks
• Hamhocks
• The nape of a baby’s neck
• When a person you didn’t realize could play piano suddenly tickles the ivories like Mozart
• Danny DeVito as Louie De Palma in Taxi
• “Alice’s Restaurant”
• The memory of my brother playing “Alice’s Restaurant” on his guitar while I danced around our family living room in the late 80s
• The absence of overhead lighting