December 29 - 31

spending all day in a "man cave"

being the strangers asking to use someone's phone

surprising with gifts

December 24 - 28

walking through silence

forgetting Christmas (but still getting gifts)

finally starting a book over winter break

hipsters in record stores

the smell of dish soap

December 23

meeting cousins for the first time

December 17 - 22

easy final exams

mozzarella sticks

being the fool on the hill

the random kid at the park who silently follows you in your movie-making

doing regular things on doomsday

compiling a documentary

December 16

people liking your photos on Instagram

December 10 - 15

being accommodated by the older kids

adorable, adorable dreams (that make your regular daily life boring)

an after-school snack of milk and cookies

realizing that, deep down, your favorite band hasn't changed (thankfully)

the adorably dorky grocery bagger chatting so familiarly with you

winter parades

December 8 & 9

listening to one artist all day

wearing a hoodie jacket inside (all day)

December 3 - 7

taking off your slipper socks but the socks you're wearing underneath are just as warm and fuzzy

guitars so quiet they sound like wind

the aroma of the inside of a butternut squash

after-school get-togethers with non-cliques

snickerdoodles

December 1 & 2

being the first one to change the calendars in the house

having the house to yourself

November 26 - 30

listening to George Harrison songs for the first time

learning about someone through their smile

discovering someone's musical talent

positive feedback on your work

passing notes (even if they don't get returned)

November 24 & 25

writing parts of your novel on a mobile notepad application

haircuts

November 19 - 23

everyone - including yourself - dressed up in ridiculous costumes

a high-five from someone who's not really your friend but wants to acknowledge something hilariously awesome

going to the park when it's dark outside

taste-testing at Thanksgiving

days eating nothing but Cheerios and Goldfish

November 12 - 14 & 17-18

successfully removing a contact lens (on your first try)

finding the subject of your research in the encyclopedia

realizing your mistake in math


writing with your non-dominant hand

crocheted beards

November 9 - 11

the adrenalin you get when bungee jumping

hilarious YouTube gamers

hot cocoa with half-and-half

November 8

grocery-store basketball

November 5 - 7

assisting parents in playing games

the exhilarating feeling of being lifted up by the whole world

getting into trouble but being able to be sassy about it

November 4

laughing at a scary movie

November 2 & 3

taking leisurely strolls through the grass

movies that make you cry

October 30 - November 1

jokes only you and your brother know

the Halloween trademarked smell of pumpkins

talking to an old and distant friend, if briefly

October 29

back pain in the morning that lasts all day

October 28

high-fives that sting your hand

October 27

the people you meet while engaged in community service

October 25 & 26

picking out all the students you recognize from a play

the smell of the inside of a guitar

October 24

when a friend shares cake and stuff with you... on their birthday

October 23

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

October 22

milking the dependency of the somewhat-blindness you endure after an eye appointment

October 21

planning things a year into the future

October 20

predicting the next line in a movie

October 19

singing along with a song off of printed pages of the lyrics

October 16 - 18

the casting of a good actor in a movie

smart little toads of mine

actually dancing with someone at the school dance

October 14 & 15

Microsoft Fix-It

a freshly erased whiteboard

October 13

pitying a character in a novel

October 12

cute love stories about old people on the news

October 10 & 11

playing adequately at a concert

being absolutely childish and silly in public

October 7 - 9

finally finishing a big school project

walking in the sunshine

secretly celebrating a dead celebrity's birthday

October 6

funny people at the grocery store

October 4 & 5

when a teacher says you're his best student (even if he seems like he's being a bit obsessive in saying it)

being trusted with someone's (how about a teacher?) keys

October 3

seeing people you used to know years ago

October 1 & 2

the series of WORLD BOOKS fitting on one shelf at the library

3-D Google Earth. For a school project.

September 30

old books with pages falling out

September 29

breaking into song with someone else (nearly) simultaneously

September 28

when a person you're chasing in "Capture the Flag" dives into a somersault and you fall after them

September 27

helping out a guy who's struggling on a math problem

September 25 & 26

(double) rainbows

sneaking food in class

September 24

the nanosecond of adrenaline you feel as you start to trip

September 23

watching interactive Spanish programs and knowing so much more than you did when you first watched it

September 22

fire (when it's for cooking)

September 20 & 21

watching Family Guy before going to bed (to try to get you to fall asleep)

getting a new T-shirt

September 18 & 19

mango-flavored cola (best invention on the planet, I swear)

the anxious feeling you get when you're waiting in an empty classroom, expecting the teacher, and you know at any moment the teacher will walk in

September 17

seeing two of your friends laugh after their previous separation issues

September 16

when a person who hasn't responded to your text messages in months finally responds

September 15

reading an amazingly moving piece of poetry

September 14

hanging with sort-of friends and talking about girly stuff

September 13

jeans

September 12

running in a race against someone that wasn't premeditated (even if you didn't win)

September 11

**God bless all those who serve our country in the military, and the families of those who have died on this day eleven years ago**

the day you decide to wear a nice dress for picture day and you get compliments from pretty much every other person you see

September 10

when a teacher brings up something from one of your own one-on-one conversations in front of the whole class and you and the teacher are the only ones who know what's being talked about

September 9

going all out for a friend's birthday

September 8

eating cake icing right off the knife

September 6 & 7

Missed a day, sorry...

activities in English class where you write a piece of a story and you pass it around so everyone else has a chance to write a piece... and the story is so crazy

when a guy in your class you barely know comes over to see what you're doing before class starts

September 5

when someone you've been meaning to reacquaint yourself with turns up at the Speech and Debate meeting

September 4

Michelle Obama's hair style at the Democratic National Convention, especially the sassy, curled piece on the side

September 3

the sample kitchen setups in Home Depot

September 2

reading [kid] books in a foreign language and understanding them in their most basic form

September 1

how the Spanish word for smile is "sonrisa"

August 31

the moment when, using a can opener, the pressure drops and you know it's open

August 30

when cotton starts falling from the trees and it swirls in the sky like snow

August 29

watching dust spin in the sunlight

August 28

playing on a real piano

August 27

having the whole classroom to yourself because your classmates are on a grade trip

August 26

the smell of a library book

August 25

the one empty aisle in WalMart

Aug 20 - Aug 24

smiling and laughing along with a teacher's jokes and not feeling self-conscious about it

when a teacher you weren't sure about says they were excited to have you as a student in their class

the ripest bit of a banana

the smile of a guy you've gotten over

listening to the song "Alice's Restaurant Massacree"

August 19

assisting myself in mocking myself

August 18

learning to play a song on the guitar from a YouTube video

August 17

remembering math formulas and terms from the previous year

August 16

starting school

August 15

bathroom photo shoots

August 14

when someone remarks positively on a t-shirt you're wearing

August 13

remembering with great detail something that happened very recently

Aug 8 - Aug 12

when the new kid asks if you mind them sitting by you

changing into warm, dry clothes after you've been soaked

peanut butter and Nutella on a tortilla

coming home after having been away

finding out you and your friend have the maximum number of classes together

August 7

the comfort of a glass of milk

August 6

the moment right after you've started drifting off, where you've lost awareness of space and time, but when you still maintain your conscious thought

August 5

...when I'm in-between halfway and done with a book

Introduction

Welcome to One Thing That I Love Today! Yet another creation is added to my agenda of optimisti-fying my life, along with Pic a Day, Thought a Day, etc.

Here, I find one, just one, thing that I love about today, or discovered that I love today, or have always loved but have just really noticed its impact until today.

To anyone viewing, you are all more than welcome to comment what your One Thing That You Love Today is! Please do! I'm always interested in these things, in looking at what good I see as well as what good other people see.