Enjoying life is hard. it's hard. There's a lot of times where you're too busy, too stressed, too anxious to think about the world around you. But, here's my checklist on how to enjoy life:

1. Check when the sun is setting and intentionally set some time out of your day to sit in the grass to watch the sun set.

2. Be away from things that disrupt your moment. Maybe its people you know. Loud cars. Turn your phone on dnd. Find somewhere a bit more secluded where people or things won't distract you. It doesn't have to be entirely secluded. It could be somewhere with strangers. Just anywhere you feel peaceful. Maybe sit on the benches if you don't want to sit on the grass.

3. Find a hobby that you can do outside. Maybe draw. I recommend writing.

4. You don't need to write well. You just need to write something. How you're feeling. What you're seeing. Maybe that's the birds flying through the sky. Or the sun setting behind the mountains. Or that peculiar lump in the grass. Or the boy playing basketball on the court beside you. The noises. The bounces of the ball on the concrete ground. The sound of children playing baseball in the field across from you. The cars. The people walking their dogs and their children.

5. You'll find joy in the observations you make in life. Don't chase profound revelations or bliss. Just observe the moment and think about what you feel, what you hear, what you smell. Look in the sky. Look at the colors of the world. Look at the behaviors of people. Their interactions, their expressions. You'll find bliss in the world around you.

6. Play some music. I don't think people realize how much music plays a role on your mindset. I personally need music to help me write. To help me feel and be in the moment. Without it, life just doesn't feel as beautiful.

7. Don't stay too long. Don't stay long to the point where you get tired and cold and the world is dark and scary. Leave right when you feel your inspiration go away. Some days it will be 10 minutes. Others 40. And that's ok. And even if its a bit short and you have already left and you wonder, "maybe i should've stayed longer," that's ok. Because leaving wanting more is better than overstaying.

8. The key is to slow down and feel. Feel the beauty of life. Of the smallness of yourself. Of the crazy fact that you live in this universe.

Now that I'm looking back on what I've written, it sounds an awfully lot like meditation. Well, either way, find more moments like that. Or take more time to do it. And I truly think that you will find more happiness in life.