15 Things I Love About Myself

Ruminates, talks, inquires, overthinks,

collects fun facts like pebbles,

collects strangers’ stories like I’ll ever see them again,

creates something from virtually nothing, like the Atacama Desert farmers who harness fog for water.

Attaches sentiment to everything—refrigerator magnets, the last flower on an orchid, a sloppy crayon masterpiece scribbled just for me, a sandwich wrapped in paper being eaten alone, a baby sock on the sidewalk, a passive smile from an old man.

Empathizes, forgives, forgets,

and remembers, to the point of a brief waft of a familiar scent plunging me back into grief,

to the point where I’m sick,

to the point where my brain lets itself drown.

Accepts the past, embraces the future,

(I love those parts the most)

and finds joy, even when I have to dig for it.