These are a Few of my Favorite Things
February 17th, 2025
Writer: Addie Siembieda
Editor: Ellie Bottio
I keep a list of my favorite things pinned at the top of my notes app, above the baby names, grocery lists, and late-night ramblings. The practice began during my junior year of high school. That year, I struggled a lot with then-undiagnosed mental health issues. After spending so much time in such a low place, I was desperate to identify the aspects of life that brought me a little bit of joy. The previous summer, I had noticed that my cousin kept a list of his girlfriend’s favorite things so that, if she was ever feeling down, he could make her day. I figured that, if it worked for him and his girlfriend, why couldn’t it work for me? What was stopping me from extending that kind of love towards myself?
Extending my cousin’s practice towards myself helped me get to know myself better. Recognizing my unique interests led me to recognize all the niche characteristics that make me love myself. Since then, I’ve spent the last three years recording the things that brighten my day. Some have stories attached to them, some have deep sentimental meanings, and some I just find really pretty.
Addie’s Favorite Things:
1. Sunsets (especially from airplanes)
Being from the Southwestern United States, every night featured gorgeous, panoramic painted-sky sunsets. The only thing better than watching the sunset is feeling like I’m a part of it. From an airplane window, I can see the sky change all around me.
2. Cotton Candy
It’s light. It’s sweet. It comes in a whole rainbow of colors and dissolves at the first taste. I consider it to be the ideal dessert.
3. Yellow Roses
I might be biased because yellow is my favorite color, but I always think that yellow roses smell the sweetest.
4. Butterflies
I always know winter is over when the butterflies start fluttering around again. Every time I see one, I have to point it out to my friends, even in the middle of an unrelated conversation.
5. The Moon
The moon is the most beautiful metaphor for both change and consistency. It flows through different phases, different illuminations, and different positions all while maintaining its sense of self. It has been the same moon in the sky my entire life.
6. The Stars
See above: “The Moon”. Plus, they’re sparkly.
7. Petrichor
Growing up in the desert, rain always had a distinct smell when it hit dry, packed dirt. If I could bottle any scent, it would be the smell of the rain.
8. Handwritten notes
Anything anyone has ever written for me, from birthday cards to notes passed in class, lives in a box under my bed. My best friend did a free-writing assignment about me in our senior year creative writing class. I keep the page she tore out of her notebook in my wallet to this day.
9. Vinyl Records
During the Covid-19 lockdown, my dad pulled his milk crates of vinyl records out of the garage. We spent the afternoon listening to the music he loved when he was my age. I’ve started my own vinyl collection because there’s something so powerful about being able to hold the music you love in your hands.
10. Arizona Iced Tea Cans
I don’t know what it is about the simple cherry blossom tree on a pale green background. Back at home, I used to cut the tops off of old cans and use them to pot my plants. It was my way of maintaining the aesthetic that was made to be thrown away.
11. Valentines Day
I love anything pink and heart-shaped and I love love. I will never pass up an opportunity to celebrate the people I love, both romantically and platonically.
12. Microwave Popcorn
During my junior year of high school, my best friend and I would buy a bag of microwave popcorn from the on-campus cafe whenever we had our last period free. It was one of the few moments of the day that we weren’t stressed about classes or completing homework we had procrastinated doing. By the end of the semester, we had the cooking time down to a science so that every bag was perfect.
13. Southwest Airlines Dr Pepper
Something about those plastic cups makes it taste so much better than it does straight from the can. Even though the ice cubes take up half the cup, the small serving always hits the spot, leaving me perfectly satisfied.
If something as tiny as the cup can make a soda that much tastier, why shouldn’t we seek out the mundane details that make our lives that much sweeter?
Photo Credits: Ana Serdan
