50 Moments That Make Me Feel Alive.

Sussex 2015.

***I should clarify this was scheduled to run today and pre written a few days ago. Following the events in London today I questioned whether or not to post it but ultimately decided this is EXACTLY what needs to come from terror and heartbreak like today. It's what life is all about, the small things that make life...well, life. The little bits, the ability of mankind to keep going, of people to keep trucking, of our ability to recognise the things in life that makes us happy and as long as that continues, terror never wins. 

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I was driving back to my Mum and Dad's the other Saturday to drop something off (and coincidentally arrive just in time for chip butties) and it was about 1pm, the sun was all hazy like it was a Summer's evening, I could see right across the Welsh coast to Devon, I had something fabulous playing, I was singing along and I had my sunnies on my head and I suddenly just felt alive. 

You know those moments in time where everything seems to stop? Or slow down? Or it might just be a split second where you just stop. And take stock. Those moments where you think now this, THIS is living. Those moments where you can feel every breath of wind on the hairs of your arm, where the birds seem to sing louder and the sun seems a few belts stronger and you can't describe it, you just know you're living and this is what it's all about.

It was that single moment looking over the coast as I drove down the lanes I've lived in for 24 years that I decided I'd make a blog post out of the moments that make me feel alive, as a record for me, a reminder of the things that do good things for my soul.  

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1. The smell of freshly mown grass (gives me horrific hayfever but makes me think of going back to school in September).
2. Driving over the viaduct to take me back to Wrexham. 
3. A log fire and fluffy socks in Winter. 
4. Walking in the pissing down rain.
5. Driving at night, like really really late at night. Preferably actually early hours of the morning. 
6. One of them life saving cups of tea. 
7. Proper ugly crying. 
8. A festival in the evening when the sun is going down.
9. Live music. 
10. Listening to the Welsh National Anthem sung in the Principality Stadium. 
11. Belly laughing with friends, like crying laughing. Maybe snorting a bit. 
12. A 3am McDonalds after a night out. 
13. Driving to McDonalds for a drive thru in a convoy of cars like we're 17 again. 
14. House parties by the sea. 
15. Any of the houses belonging to my school friends. 
16. Driving anywhere in a convoy. 
17. Visiting my Uncle & Auntie's house. 
18. Laughing at memories that happened a LONG time ago. 
19. Driving into the heart of the New Forest. 
20. Devon, Cornwall and Dorset. 
21. Driving over the Severn Bridge back into Wales when all the lanes disappear and it's like a free for all whacky racers. 
22. Passing my secondary school.
23. Easter Egg hunts. 
24. Strawberry picking. 
25. A big family dinner with all of my boyfriend's family and 32748274 spare tables and chairs for Easter. 
26. See above but for Christmas. 
27. Driving with the windows down. 
28. Sunglasses on my head at pretty much any time. 
29. Walking silently round the lanes where my Mum and Dad live. 
30. Walking round the lake where I live.
31. Walking round the lake at night when the bats are out flying. 
32. A road trip to anywhere. 
33. Belting out a song in the car. Like proper screaming your lungs out and doing all the power grabs and finger wagging.
34. A Twitter chat with so many notifications you can't keep up with the questions.
35. A really banging outfit.
36. Coming out of the cinema late at night and it's gone dark whilst you were in there but the air is still warm.
37. Plane journeys and airports.
38. When you're out and about and it feels like the rest of the world is asleep.
39. A warm duvet in the depths of winter.
40. The first night you don't need a duvet and summer is coming.
41. Changing the clocks and the first evening you get an extra hour of daylight.
42. Changing the clocks and the first morning you get an extra hour in bed.
43. Christmas morning.
44. Wearing a leather jacket and sashaying my way round a shopping centre like a boss.
45. White sandals and raw hem jeans and coral nail varnish.
46. Being by the sea.
47. Being at the top of a mountain.
48. Listening to my niece hold a conversation or laughing.
49. A really smoky BBQ with potato salad and a huge group of friends or family.
50. Camping out in a friends field.