What lights me up?

I just read a post by Ciao Mom about finding the “why” in our lives – why we do the things we do – what inspires us, makes us feel good, influences the decision we make? She explains it in way more depth than I will go into here but you can just click the link above and read what she wrote. Her post made me think about what “lights me up.” It only makes sense to focus on those things, to intentionally seek them out because they fill us up; there is plenty that will drain us (an afternoon/evening spent with whiny children – gets me every time).

Here’s a brief list of the things that light me up, here’s hoping I can seek out opportunities to fill my life with more of them:

1. Child-free time with my hubby
2. Live music
3. An evening of laughter and talking with friends (or just a single friend)
4. Making food for others – having people over and entertaining
5. Reading a good book
6. Helping others however I can – I’m good in a crisis mostly because I don’t freak out but I’m also good at the little things and I like to be useful
7. Watching my children play (happily) with my friends’ kids
8. Crafting/creating
9. A beautiful sunset, preferably on Lake Michigan
10. Being in a big city (like Chicago) just for a visit
11. Travel and road trips
12. Iced coffee and McDonald’s fountain Diet Coke
13. Graphic design
14. Finding (and sharing) new music
15. Real mail in the mailbox
16. Praise music in church
17. Cool breezes through open windows
18. Watching the scale go down
19. A newly straightened up house (though I realize this directly contradicts my dislike for cleaning, though you should note I didn’t say, newly cleaned house – just straightened)
20. Writing

What lights you up?