..... sends an electric thrill through my veins. For those 20 seconds, nothing else matters. I pour everything into the chase for no other purpose but the pursuit of play: staying at the table after the bill is paid; smiling at a stranger; skinny dipping under the full moon; sitting in the parked car until the song is over.
On days I can’t access outdoor adventures, I tap into other everyday thrills. Some days it’s easy with a morning cup of coffee, and some days it takes conscious effort. In a world that seems to notify you to be stressed out, pointing your lens towards what makes your heart sing requires intentionality and dedication.
Sometimes when I’m having a hard day, I look up at leaves blowing in the wind and I imagine they are waving to me. This small perspective shift reminds me to stop replaying....
... that-thing-in-the-future-I-can't-control.
Somehow, the waving leaves make my sadness feel like it is not just my own to hold. When I look at the world around me in this way, I can sit with the difficult feelings with more grace and ease. I have more stamina for the bullshit, the adversity, the unexpected. The more I feel filled up and supported, the more I have to give back to the world.
The best part: these joys are right in front of you with the help of a simple perspective shift. Life can be heavy and fog the giddy lenses, and shifting perspective is like exercising a muscle - it doesn’t always come naturally, doesn’t always feel easy. The more often you practice this reframing, the more the view becomes a way of life.
Everyday Thrills are for everyone, but specific to you. I like to think about how you don’t really get to choose what you love, it chooses you. It makes me feel like I owe the things I love some attention. After all, they chose me.
Remembering what you liked as a kid is a simple way to remember what makes your heart sing. To come back to the things that we always knew. When I was 8 years old, I didn’t really feel confident at school. I learned differently from most kids in my class, and so when I got home, I felt a giddy thrill in letting out all my pent-up energy I had from the school day. I would spend my time on the floor of my bedroom recording the top 25 songs in America on a cassette tape, eating sour patch kids while watching Sucker Free Sunday on MTV, and rollerblading with my brother and sister down empty school hallways on the weekends.
Once I was outside the classroom, the everyday thrills felt in abundance: I’d talk to my cat, I’d bounce on my trampoline, and I’d spend as much time as possible naked outside. The freakouts that happened when we had unexpected visitors made me re-think my choices, but not enough to continue pursuing them.
To this day, these things resonate with me. I can’t put into words why bouncing on the trampoline naked is such a thrill, and I think not knowing why this simple thing feels like such a thrill is part of the thrill. It’s the energy that comes from making a music video to Ashlee Simpson as an adult, riding your one-wheel in a tuxedo; it’s skipping. This kind of joy is like smiling to yourself while no one else is around: raw, authentic, and for no other purpose except for the pursuit of things that make your heart sing.
Here is a playlist to help you tap into your everyday thrills: a true KAVU mood.
Now go seek some everyday thrills!
Lucinda lives on the island of O'ahu, Hawaii as a Multimedia Artist and Personal Development Coach. Through her business, Giddy by Nature, she inspires people to tap into their inner giddiness. You can follow her on Spotify for over 700 playlists for every mood; Instagram and TikTok for daily giddy inspiration; and Patreon for creative-nonfiction essays.
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