I keep thinking about the idea that love is two people inspiring each other to live. And living isn’t simply existing or making it through another day. It’s noticing the beauty in ordinary things. Being moved by small moments. Remembering that being alive can actually be beautiful. So imagine finding someone who makes you want to notice those things again. Someone who reminds you to be curious, present, and amazed by the simple fact of being here. That kind of love feels incredibly special.

On my birthday this year, while we were still lying in bed, my partner pulled out a list of everything I’d accomplished since my last birthday and read every single thing to me. I don’t think I’ll ever recover from how loved that made me feel.

If someone is truly meant to be part of your life, timing won't necessarily stop it. Maybe it'll happen soon, maybe years from now, but what is genuinely meant for you has a way of finding its way back.

A young family moved into a house next to a vacant lot. One day a construction crew turned up to start building a house on the empty lot. The young family’s 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door and spent much of each day observing the workers. Eventually the construction crew, more or less, adopted her as a kind of project mascot. They chatted with her, let her sit with them while they had coffee and lunch breaks, and gave her little jobs to do here and there to make her feel important. At the end of the first week, they even presented her with a pay envelope containing ten dollars. The little girl took this home to her mother, who suggested that she take her $10 “pay” to the bank the next day to start a savings account. When the girl and her mom got to the bank, the teller was equally impressed and asked the little girl how she had come by her very own paycheck at such a young age. The little girl proudly replied, “I worked last week with a real construction crew building the new house next door to us.” “Oh, my goodness gracious,” said the teller, “and will you be working on the house again this week, too?” The little girl replied, “I will, if those assholes at Lowe’s ever deliver the fucking sheetrock.”

I found a wallet on the floor of a crowded train. There was no cash inside, just an ID, a few photographs, and a handwritten note that said, “Whatever happens, don’t give this to my brother.” I thought it was strange, but I decided to find the owner before handing it to anyone else. The address on the ID was nearby, so I went there that evening. A young man opened the door. I asked if he’d lost a wallet. The moment he saw it, his face changed. “Where did you find that?” he asked. I told him. He reached for it, but I remembered the note and pulled it back.