There are lots of necessities in the world—things we must have to survive and to thrive. But there are also things that just make life more fun, more bearable. I know that I have things I do, things I wear, just to feel happier. 

These things bring us joy and pleasure in difficult times. Sometimes they are small things, but make a big difference to us. Always, they are meaningful to us in ways that may not make sense to other people.  

The pandemic has made some of the small things even more meaningful, as they make the days more interesting and more fun. Being homebound as long as we were caused some reflections on things that matter and things that don’t. There are a lot of things I don’t truly need. But while they are the things we could live without, really, why would we want to if we don’t have to? In no particular order, these are my ten things that I don’t want to live without. 

1. MINI Cooper Countryman: I’m not a car person. I grew up in a car family. (Fun Fact: My grandfather went to General Motors engineering school and helped design the first Corvette.) I also grew up in Los Angeles, so it’s a city with a car culture, but I just always drove whatever we had. I never had a new car until my first MINI Cooper in 2014. When I went to test drive one, the sales associate told me, “You don’t just buy a MINI, you adopt it!” I thought she was kidding until they gave me adoption papers when we decided to buy. I’ve never named a car, but my first MINI I named Pip after a character in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. When I first test drove a MINI I knew it was the car for me. It’s cute; it’s fun; it’s fast, and I loved it! I’m a MINI Cooper driver for life. I will never go back to any other car. 

2. Buffy comforter: We like to travel. My husband and I met on a trip to South Africa when we were in college. We’ve always traveled. In our many trips to Europe, I’ve noticed that they set up their beds differently, but it wasn’t until we went to Iceland that I finally thought, why don’t we do this?? It was the fact that we each had our own comforter/duvet combo that made a light bulb go off in my head. They covered the whole thing with a bedspread (at least at our rental in Iceland) but each person had their own comforter instead of a flat sheet and blanket that had to be shared–the typical American style. When we got home, I was determined to replicate this style. I researched comforters and found Buffy. It was highly recommended by some people I follow and the website information was comforting (see what I did there? Ha!). It read, “Our original cloud-like comforter is covered in super-soft eucalyptus fabric and filled with layers of 100% recycled fiber for that snuggled up feeling.” Which was exactly the feeling I was looking for! It also had a free trial, which was nice. Once it arrived, there was no way we were sending it back. The only problem I’ve had with it is that it makes it difficult to get out of bed in the morning!

3. Mexican food: I remember getting fresh tortillas from the Mexican market and it totally rocked my world. There is nothing in the Safeway like a fresh flour tortilla. I could eat them straight or heat them up with just a little butter–sometimes with sugar and cinnamon if I wanted a little treat. Growing up in Los Angeles and later living in Santa Cruz County, there was no shortage of excellent Mexican food. From the al pastor street tacos I used to buy from a food truck (before food trucks were trendy) to the Tex Mex fajitas at less authentic restaurants, I love it all. If I’m ever asked where I want to go to dinner or lunch, I will always choose Mexican food. It’s by far my favorite and I can’t imagine living in a world without it. 

4. Children: True story: I didn’t really want kids. I’m not super nurturing and I can be a bit selfish and I didn’t think I’d make a good mom. I went to the doctor when I was 24 and due to a medical condition that she diagnosed she said I probably couldn’t have kids. Of course, nobody tells me what I can’t do, so I said, “Let’s have a baby!” Which we promptly did. Turns out their diagnosis was wrong and that’s how I ended up with a baby. We really enjoyed our first child Luke. We were young and dumb and probably did a lot of things wrong, but he came out okay and he’s pretty smart and successful. We went back and forth about a second child because we were okay with one, but we finally decided we should have two and Daisy was born four years later. We really like our kids. Like, they are interesting, fun people and we enjoy their company–especially as they get older. We often talked about a third child but an assortment of things got in our way. Finally, when we thought maybe I was running out of time, we decided to have Cooper. We fondly call him our “mid-life crisis baby.” Some people buy a sports car, we had a baby. He’s brought so much joy and laughter to our lives. He’s shown us the world through fresh eyes and we just love him so much. I didn’t think I wanted kids and now I never want to live without them. 

5. Reading: Learning to read was the most extraordinary thing that ever happened to me. I distinctly remember realizing that letters had meaning and wanting desperately to find out how to unlock that code. I have been reading ever since and it’s absolutely who I am. My friends will regularly tell me that I’m the most well read person that they know and that if they want to know about something, they know I’m the one to ask. I read novels, newspapers, magazines, and even papers–like medical and law papers. I love new information. I love a good story. I love things that make me see the world differently. One of my all time favorite books is The Humans by Matt Haig. I read it at a time in my life that was kind of a bummer and it renewed my faith in humanity and really was just an excellent book. I have others, but you can ask me. 

6. Ice Cream: Even bad ice cream is better than no ice cream. I really like almost all ice cream. Dairy doesn’t always like me, but sacrifices must be made for creamy, frozen deliciousness. One of my most favorite ice cream shops is Salt & Straw on the west coast. They have consistently delicious ice cream and unique, interesting flavor combinations. I prefer fruity combinations of ice cream–but only real fruit, not fruit flavored. A good strawberry ice cream is excellent. I do like chocolate, but it is often very rich and I can’t eat as much! Ha! I like Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey if I’m going for chocolate, or Chubby Hubby. I also really like pumpkin flavors. I think pumpkin pie has such appeal because it’s only around for a short time. They already have pumpkin pie Blizzards at Dairy Queen and I want one every time I drive by! Yum! Y’all can have your pumpkin spice latte, but I’ll stick to pumpkin ice cream. 

7. Apple: I mean Apple the huge corporation, not the lowly fruit. I can’t pick between my iPad, iPhone, and MacBook, and, really, please don’t make me. We got our first Apple computer in 1990, right after we were married. I think it’s still in the basement? Nostalgic. I love all of my devices for different reasons. If I had to do without one, I could, but I don’t want to! I read on my iPad. I haven’t gotten a “real” book in years. I much prefer to carry around 50+ books on my device. I love Instagram on my phone (amytwhite). My laptop is what I use for school and work. I love the ease of use and simplicity of my Mac products and the way they all work together seamlessly. I understand people have issues with them and all they represent, but they make my life a lot easier and a lot more fun. 

8. Diet Coke: I’m allergic to alcohol (seriously, I carry an epi pen). I don’t like coffee (unless it has gobs of sugar and creamer). Diet Coke is my drink of choice. I first started drinking it ages ago when it was new. My favorite way to drink it is on tap at a restaurant where I can get my own ice and refills. I’m particular. If I can’t drink it that way, I’ll settle for a can. I don’t like it from a plastic bottle. You can believe whatever you want, but I’m telling you it tastes different. It tastes different at McDonald’s too–but in a good way usually. Except the McDonald’s on College by Whole Foods. It’s not good there. I don’t know why, but if someone gets me a Diet Coke from that McDonald’s, I can tell. I try to keep my intake to three cans a day–breakfast, afternoon, dinner/evening, but this pandemic has increased my consumption. 

9. Creativity: I like to create. I like to see creative things that other people have made. I think people are made to create. I’ve worked at a paint and sip studio in Loveland called Studio Vino for the last six years and my husband and I just recently purchased it. We are also opening a crafting studio in Fort Collins called Extra. When people come in and they are happy and enjoying themselves it just makes us happy. They learn that they can do artistic things and have fun. It’s awesome to see couples create their own paintings and art and they get to see each other in a new way. Not everyone can make masterpieces and be famous artists, but everyone can create and be inspired by creativity. 

10. Jeff White: I’ve been married since September 15, 1990. I remember it was one of the happiest days of my life. My face hurt from smiling so much. Truly ached, in the very best way. I wasn’t one of those dream wedding girls. I just wanted to marry Jeff. I would have eloped. In fact, I tried to talk him into it when we were in London, but he wasn’t having it. It would have made such a good story! People ask me how I knew he was the one and I was young and dumb and I don’t know if I knew anything, but I knew he was the first boy I had dated who didn’t try to change me or tone me down or tell me what to do. He seemed perfectly content to let me be. It was a nice change. He still seems okay letting me be and I appreciate that. I like me. If I choose to change something or improve something, that’s up to me–though he is always supportive. Mostly, he’s steady. I don’t have a good middle. I tend to live in extremes. He keeps me grounded. Everyone needs that.