There are so  many different things that somebody can love in their lifetime. But, during the course of a lifetime, those things change. Five things I love must right now, I love for the fact that they all help me get through life in some way.

1. “ Million Questions “ by Patrick Jørgensen. I love this song because Jørgensen wrote it about his mother during her battle with cancer. The cancer started when he was just a young boy, and got worse as the years carried on. When he was 23 he wrote this song, and sang it to his mom, wanting her to enjoy it. That was the case as she asked him to sing it again. But, four days after she heard the song, Patricks’ mother passed away. Then, a few months later, Patrick performed the song on Norskes Got Talent, which is the same as America’s Got Talent, but in the Norwegian countries. Singing that song, Patrick landed a golden buzzer moment, automatically moving him to the semi-finals.

2. Robin, my cat at my moms’ house. I love that cat dearly because he’s my best friend. Whenever I am in Indiana visiting, I spend most of my time with the cat. He always knows when I’m sad, so he will curl up in a ball in my lap, licking my hands and purring for a few hours. Other times, if I leave my door open when I go to bed, in the middle of the night Robin will open it fully with his paws and jump on my bed. Then he cuddles up against me and sleeps there throughout the night. If he’s ever terrified I just hold him and pet him for a little bit and he instantly calms down. He lets me know I’m his sense of security. But at the same time, when he knows I’m not in a good mood, even while only being a cat, he still does goofy things to cheer me up.

3. Reading. That is one of the most important activities for me to do. Ever since I knew how to read, I became obsessed. I was a socially awkward child when I was younger, and the older I got it seemed to get worse. Books were my escape. It was as if I was in my own little reality, created by some author I don’t know. But that’s okay, because I don’t choose what my fate is. My fate is chosen through the character the author created. When pretending that you’re living the life of that character, and the scenes they’re in, it’s somehow your life too. Then, you don’t have to stress about making choices and worrying about the outcome, because the outcome has already been chosen by the author, and either way, you know everything will be okay.

4. Writing. Something I have to do everyday. For the past five years, I would write everyday about anything and everything. It is endlessly helpful, allowing me get rid of my stress. If I was holding something in and I felt like I would burst if I didn’t get it out, I would write my feelings down on paper, crumple it up, and throw it into the box sitting in my closet. By now there are at least 200 papers in the box. Writing was another version of escaping from reality. I could make my own story, my own character, and my own kind of life that I want but can’t achieve. But that is also stressful, because you have to create a whole new life, create all of their choices and decisions, debate what their reason of life will be, and every characteristic they need. But, that’s how I help myself. I don’t worry about my life for a few hours. I don’t worry about the characters life either because I know they will be okay, as long as the outcome is right.

5. Running. That’s one of the biggest activities on this list. When I am running, I can just stop thinking for a while. I just focus on the pattern of my feet slamming down on the pavement, focus on keeping my speed the same, keeping my heart beat normal, and keeping my breathing normal.  Listening to music is a great time to run. You can just focus on the music and not pay attention to how long you’re running or how painful it feels to keep running when your legs just want to drop you to the ground. You can use the beat of the music as a way to keep a steady pace also, helping you be able to run for longer. Running is a form of escape for me also; it helps me forget about my problems. If I am ever stressed, I can just go for a run, knowing that afterwards everything will be okay.