102 Things I Love!

I’ve gone through a lot of crazy hard things in the past decade, moving a bazillion times, getting a divorce, and graduating from college. I spend a lot of time throughout all that, judging myself and the things I like purely out of habit. I’m so tired of judging myself and worrying about what other people think of me and the things I love. I just want to be myself and feel happy and confident doing so.

In a fit of anxiety and depression a few days ago I erased what was on my white board in my bedroom and I started a list of things I love. I did it so I could have a visual list and so I could start embracing the things I truly love in life. This way I could get to know myself a little better, since being self aware is important not only for yourself, but for all the people in your life.

So, what do I love? A list with no judgements, no filtering, just pure unadulterated Dianna. Here’s my list:

1. My family
2. Dome houses
3. Looking at real estate for sale, especially in the multi-million dollar price-range.
4. Buying property. Only done it once, but the feeling of walking into a house that you own is wonderful!
5. Watching movies, just not horror or thriller movies.
6. Dancing. I dance around my house all the time
7. Taking dance classes, Ballet and Pole Dancing are my two favorites. Although Jazz, Tap, and Lyrical are fun too.
8. Circle Skirts
9. Twirling in a circle skirt
10. Eating delicious food
11. Feeling happy
12. Open windows
13. Light breezes
14. Listening to music. Bonus if I can feel the bass.
15. Two Feet, Glass Animals, and Odesza.
16. Wearing fun clothes
17. Going to see movies at the movie theater
18. Having fun
19. Essential oils. My favorites include: Lemon, Orange, Peppermint, Frankincense, On Guard, Breathe, Melaleuca, Oregano, and many more.
20. Teaching essential oil classes
21. Dressing up
22. Travelling to new places
23. Impromptu dance parties with my family
24. Money, ‘nuf said.
25. Designing textile prints
26. Chocolate. I’m a bit of a chocolate snob since I worked at Florence’s. It’s still my favorite brand of chocolate. I try to buy a stock box every year before it gets too hot to ship.
27. Creating/designing floor plans
28. Deltec houses
29. God
30. Jesus
31. Thai food
32. Having a clean and organized house
33. Mermaids, someday I’ll be one. I have a board on Pinterest dedicated to mermaids.
34. Sea creatures, they fascinate me. Also, sea shells, because they are cool.
35. Pizza
36. Helping people
37. Shopping- shoes, kitchen items, sewing supplies, fabric, tools, house stuff, etc. I’m not a huge fan of clothes shopping, because now I can make whatever I want, but mostly because I hate putting on clothes that don’t fit. I love ordering things on Amazon!
38. Writing new blog posts
39. Planning new garments to make
40. Fabric, since I graduated from college I’ve also become a fabric snob. Haha! I just LOVE how nice quality fabrics feel and how nice they are to work with.
41. Sewing
42. Having the correct tools for the job, any and every job.
43. Planning travel itineraries and vacations
44. Pleaser shoes, especially Fabulicious.
45. Massages
46. Playing retro video games
47. Fall weather
48. Warm fuzzy socks
49. Bacon
50. Going to craft shows and seeing all the cool things people make
51. Finishing a project, that feeling of accomplishment is second to none.
52. Being able to print my own stuff at home, YAY working printer!
53. Dreaming about the future, and then of course planning it. I also love dreaming while asleep. I’m fascinated with what my brain comes up with
54. Designing new clothes with technical detail
55. Going to conventions, workshops, and training programs
56. Inspiring other people to think about and start working on their dreams
57. Street food
58. Popcorn, especially movie theater popcorn.
59. doTERRA
60. On Guard throat drops
61. Watching my daughter play
62. Hearing my daughter laugh
63. Cuddling with my family
64. Croissants, flaky delicious goodness.
65. Meeting and connecting with new people
66. Early morning rain
67. Ice cold water for drinking, not for jumping into.
68. Baking. I’m a hobby baker, and it’s so fun to try out new recipes and techniques I’ve never tried.
69. Throwing parties, even if it’s just for fun. I love to entertain!
70. Spending time with my friends
71. Listening to audio books
72. Reading
73. Drawing
74. Digital Illustration in Illustrator
75. The feeling after successfully getting ready for the day
76. How I feel after doing my EFT script(s)
77. Brainstorming new ideas or goals to work on
78. Circus training. Lyra, tightwire, silks, flying trapeze, etc. It’s so fun!
79. Learning a new skill
80. Wearing new shoes for a fun or special occasion
81. Getting enough sleep and waking up feeling so good!
82. Walking along the beach
83. Eating delicious bread. Bonus points if it’s properly prepared to avoid phytate allergies.
84. Lemon flavored things. Lemonade, lemon cookies, lemon curd, lemon cake, you get the idea.
85. Making and eating chocolate chip cookies
86. Going to a ballet
87. Watching my younger brother do improv acting, he’s really funny!
88. The Great Gatsby, I enjoy both the book and movies.
89. Vintage fashion (circa. 1910-1960)
90. Going to Disneyland on the least crowded days
91. Seeing amazing bands in concert, like Muse. The best concert I’ve ever been too, hands down!
92. Walking through art galleries. I’m usually wishing I could buy some of it.
93. Daffodils
94. Ruffles
95. Nautical inspired fashion
96. Full fluffy tulle skirts
97. Boots
98. Feeling relaxed, no stress or worries that I’m not enough or not doing enough.
99. Playing board and card games with friends and family. Phase 10 anyone?
100. Delivering baked goods to friends, family, and neighbors
101. Drinking hot chocolate by a fireplace on a cold evening cozied up in fuzzy socks, a warm sweater, and comfy pants.
102. Wearing leotards and other ballet costumes just for fun, but also for those rare dance performances. 😉

I did it! 102 things on my list that I love. I genuinely enjoy each of the things listed. I think I’m going to take some time to make a collage of each of these and put them up on my bedroom wall to remind myself of the myriad things in life that I love. I tend to get stuck in my brain and forget that there is this wonderful list of things I already love in life, but also a whole wide world of things that I haven’t yet experienced that I may fall in love with too.

I have hope that someday I will have gone through enough healing processes to not judge myself so harshly or at all for these things. As a child I was made fun of because of my favorite color, which is yellow by the way, and for a lot of other things. Glasses, my haircut, my hand-me-down clothes, living in an apartment, my overbite, etc. Because I was around so much abusive behavior I learned to constantly put myself down, instead of lifting myself up. Kind of like that monkey experiment. These experiences have resulted in the majority of my life being abused from the outside as well as the inside. Self-abuse is not a healthy learned attribute, but it is something I’m actively working on.

If you want to have a better relationship with yourself, I highly recommend doing this exercise, or another self reflection activity like it. It’s cathartic, especially if you’re like me and judge yourself a bit too harshly.