Little Things
Sometimes amidst the stress of college it can be easy for me to get frustrated and feel like everything sucks.
But, in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, I have been trying to remind myself more of what I am thankful for — including all the little things I love about being away at school. So, here’s a list of 22 little things I have been thankful for lately – one for each day of November leading up to Thanksgiving.
1. The colorful shadows my string lights cast against the wall.
2. Sharing new, weirdly-named Spotify playlists with friends … cue Midnight Séance, Songs to Cry to While Skateboarding, and thesis research!!!!!
3. The kind librarian who always remembers my name and chats with me about the books I’m checking out.
4. Damp piles of leaves that soften the ground under my feet.
5. Waking up to cute emoji-filled texts from my mom.
6. Finding thrift store sweaters that embody the perfect mix of scratchy and cozy.
7. Professors who give me unexpectedly amazing TV and movie recommendations.
8. Meeting cute dogs with adorable names…love you Banjo, Marshmallow and Peanut!
9. Extra-spicy chai.
10. Spending an hour walking around town late at night, getting so enthralled in conversation that I don’t even feel the cold.
11. Opening a new liquid eyeliner and drawing a perfect wing.
12. Writing a really killer sentence of my thesis and feeling proud for the whole day.
13. The smell and feel of the pages in old books.
14. Really tight hugs after stressful days.
15. The first snow of the season, even when it completely freezes my feet.
16. Scalding hot showers that warm my soul (while temporarily burning my skin).
17. Sending my sisters dumb memes and them responding with even dumber ones.
18. 5 PM sunsets.
19. Going to university-sponsored lectures and feeling the incredible passion of the speakers as they talk about what they love.
20. The smell of burning firewood.
21. Sitting in silence with friends, just enjoying their presence, and feeling cozy and safe.
22. Getting a window seat on the train home and paying attention to all the scenery that I usually ignore.
And for good measure, 22 more totally underrated things:
1. The perfect yawn that I can feel in my whole body.
2. Pets in sweaters.
3. Blurry Photobooth selfies filtered within an inch of their life.
4. The demonology and occult section of the library.
5. Gummy vitamins.
6. Dark circles that replace the need for wearing eye shadow.
7. Guy Fieri-themed pregames.
8. Being able to get away with a head-to-toe crushed velvet outfit.
9. Being chased by the squirrels on campus.
10. The off-brand cereals that the dining hall now stocks… “Mother’s Natural Groovy Grahams” and “Frosty Flakes.”
11. Having it be dark when I wake up and when I leave my afternoon classes, making it feel like an endless night.
12. Round balls of lint that stick to my sweaters no matter how often I clean the filter.
13. Eating eggs that are runny enough to coat the entire circumference of the plate in yolk.
14. Tracking in a trail of leaves and dirt all over the floor.
15. Burnt coffee.
16. Wiping out in the first snow.
17. Thin dorm walls that let you hear your hallmates’ every move, including their off-key sing-alongs to ABBA.
18. Spending way too long trying to solve the New York Times crossword.
19. Extra-long turtlenecks that can swallow your whole head.
20. Being forced to buy watermelon-flavored gum when they’re out of mint.
21. Watching The Property Brothers on HGTV.
22. The animated dinosaur “Yee” meme.
By Katie Duggan
Princeton student, feminist film enthusiast, and lover of all things spooky.