![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd1bdfc04-1e44-49c4-b4b3-2bb134c0eb8d_950x549.png)
Hey look at that, a lighthearted piece for the first time… ever in this Substack??
Something I’ve seen in the Notes section on the Substack app is different people writing “Things that I’m interested in” posts. I’m a nosy girlie and a Gemini rising. I read every single one of these. I love them, I can’t get enough! I don’t know you, this is the first time Substack is pitching your content to me, but I want to know it all. I love that you love reading, Taylor Swift, baking, camping, astrology, friendship, tattoos, bad horror movies, anatomy, your book club, and so much more.
I shared my list in kind. Here’s what I came up with:
I’d probably add more if I were to rewrite the list (my bookshelves, wearing scarves in 40-degree weather, Cornelia Funke, etc.).
There are always more things to love in this world. After all, the things we love define us as much as our chemical makeup. (This comes from someone who decidedly does not like chemistry/anatomy/science in general. STEM girlies go easy on me, I am but a fragile English major!)
I think some of the joy of this, and why I’ve gobbled up every one of the “Things I’m interested in” posts is that like the rest of us, I’ve been craving a sense of community. I moved recently, and my friends and family live farther away now. I graduated from college over 5 years ago. The experience of having a super tight-knit community of friends since then has been sparse. Back then, I would sit on my bed in my dorm with my friends, and we would spend hours talking about anything and everything: the things we were obsessed with, the neighbors, the Bachelor (or, better yet, Bachelor in Paradise). Nothing went unexamined. And, after four years of chit-chat, I knew my friends very, very well.
We still talk, but I miss them. I haven’t had a delightfully bitchy conversation about the current Bachelor villain, or an annoying and noisy neighbor in years! This isn’t necessarily the same… Getting to know a brief snapshot of what someone likes isn’t super similar to the intimate knowledge of friends who have known each other for years. However, this Substack has allowed me to express myself, and go somewhere I haven’t gone with my writing in a very, very long time. The other writers on this platform are very much a part of this. Seeing what everyone writes on here inspires me to write, too! When I’m writing, I’m much happier, and I’m writing much more often lately. It’s been similarly fulfilling. I’ve been staying up later than I usually would, writing and sharing with the same verve I would chit chat way back when, and sharing with a similar vulnerability, too.
I suppose I’m just glad I found a place where I can create a community of writers. I’m happy to be here!