there's a certain feeling

on measuring aliveness

there's a certain feeling you get when you're with someone and the energy just... is there

its like this person's energy is contagious, they make you feel more alive

it's really hard to quantify this... but you know when it's there or not there

certain lectures that you just can't help but go to. certain bundles of words that just don't seem to expire

you feel it when you read writing that isn't manufactured, when you read thoughts that aren't filtered, when you taste that sweetness from that home-grown cucumber that the store ones just don't have

you think you found it when you got in that good college, joined that prestigious club, got that dream job, or attended that selective retreat... but you realize when you get in that you were wrong

instead you find it in the remnants of people around you, the chance encounter you had with the hair stylist, the uber driver that shared a story they never did, the old lady who you met at the airport who offered you a ride home. the random steakhouse you did for the laughs, the low-paid service job where the world wasn’t the same after, the mental gains that disguised themselves as catastrophic numerical losses on paper

you find it in the stories not written down, in the un-lived experiences yet to be tasted

it’s these stories that leave a lingering sensation after bidding goodbye... these stories that stay, that chart the course of lives

these are stories buried in the minds of those around you