Why Is Life Sooooooo Beautiful And Profound And Sad And Completely Empty

What is the difference between a cathedral and a physics lab? Are they not both saying: Hello?

Paolo Giordano, “The Solitude of Prime Numbers” / Antonio Tonelli / Laura Giplin, “A Toast to the Alchemists” / Dennis Overbye, “Music of the Heavens Turns Out to Sound a Lot Like a B Flat” / Carina Nebula / Marie Howe, “Singularity” / Alan Bean, “Is Anyone Out There?” / Bill Bryson, “A Short History of Nearly Everything” / Garrett Lee, “Canyon” / Whit Bronaugh, “The Trees That Miss The Mammoths”

Mieko Kawakami, from 'Heaven'

it's just that sometimes you have to love a thing including the ways that it inconveniences you like i keep picking dog hair out of my clothes because he steals things from my laundry basket to lay on them while i'm gone and whenever i use my laptop i have to type with my arms in a parabola to make room for his head on my legs and yes it's kind of a far ride to my mom's house but she always remembers to have dairy-free options available just in case i stop at home and nick lives in another timezone so we have to plan our calls carefully to be sure he's available and i'm not in bed and i hate driving and looking for parking but it means i get to visit my friends and i hate doing dishes but i'll do a million if it means i get to throw a dinner party for everybody and i hate being cold but one time we stood outside in the snow for 5 hours waiting for a concert, bundled up and red-nosed

i always apologize about the ways i take up space even when they're medical like at a restaurant i usually have to take the moment to say i really am allergic, sorry, and feel like i am making everyone around me angry and i always apologize when i am too tired to be funny or when i actually really do need to take care of my human body because it feels like i'm making everything about-me and i always apologize for the ways that i become needy; how i get scared when we're high up (and no for real please get down it actually kind of stops being funny) or how i panic if i hear a loud noise i wasn't expecting or how it's been years but there are days when i'm still doing the same shit, still drowning

the trick about relaxing, i think. like the answer to why i couldn't trust the idea anyone actually likes me. was realizing that at some point i am going to be an inconvenience, which means that at some point i need to trust other people want me to take up space. and yes, some people have to take up a lot of space. but. i relish this little gratitude: making room for people and things in my life. i love picking the dog hairs out of my food - it means i get to have a dog. i love answering the phone at 3 in the morning - it means someone is on the other line, and i can help them weave through life. i love the little chores - it means i have something productive to do. so what if you take up space - it means this world gets to have you.

another important thing to remember is 1) u can pick up any hobby at any point in ur life and get outstandingly good at it & 2) the project u've been working on & aren't pleased w the current outcome so far will not be your last. u will draw/crochet/paint/sculpt/write another piece, and another, and you will have many chances to be fully content w your craft. so you should cherish the joy of making art instead of worrying ab the results & think ab how lovely it is that we're all vessels for artistry and we can share the divine act of creation!!!!!

the fact that i'm no longer the same age as the protagonists of novels and films i once connected to is so heartbreaking. there was a time when I looked forward to turning their age. i did. and i also outgrew them. i continue to age, but they don't; never will. the immortality of fiction is beautiful, but cruel.

— Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anais Nin, Vol. 4: 1944-1947

who up wanting to change things that can't be changed

misc readings

On books and reading!

Reading insecurity, katy waldman, slate

The deep space of digital reading, paul la farge, nautilus

The curse of reading and forgetting, ian crouch, new yorker

Why read the classics, italo calvino (pdf)

How reading is like love: italo calvino on the ecstasy of surrendering to other dimensions of experience, the marginalian

Just read the book already, lauren miller, slate

Treasure the books no one else seems to love, molly templeton, tor

Papyralysis, jacob mikanowski, los angeles review of books

How to nurture a personal library, freya howarth, psyche

Brief notes on the art and manner of arranging one's books, georges perec

If I don't remember what I read, did I read it at all? molly templeton, tor

Never do that to a book, anne fadiman, slate

Mary oliver on how reading saved her life and the greatest antidote to sorrow, the marginalian

On the pleasures and solitudes of quiet books, emily st. john mandel, the millions

Being a better online reader, maria konnikova, new yorker

How 11 writers organize their personal libraries, emily temple, literary hub

How many errorrs are in this essay? ed simon, the millions

Adrienne rich on resistance, the liberating power of storytelling, and how reading emancipates, the marginalian

How we read series, wired

Fiction detective: on literary citation and search engine sleuthing, sophie haigney, the drift

our autofiction fixation, jessica winter, the new york times

there's a certain ache i feel whenever i hear people calling me nicknames i don't use anymore, it's like i'm back to being the person i was years ago. a bittersweet feeling. i don't want to be that person anymore but i'm glad you like me the same

This is so cute T^T

ENHYPEN AS TYPES OF COUPLES

genre: pure fluff

notes: hello! this is my first writing piece and i'm nervous as heck! i really hope you guys enjoy it and feedback is always appreciated <3

☆ HEESEUNG

the chill couple.

sometimes people even forget that you guys are there LMAO.

you guys can be found cuddling on the nearest couch or occupying the living room area just to watch Netflix.

probably the couple that everyone seeks out for advice or comfort since you guys rarely get into fights.

but third-wheeling with both of you is painful because the time spent with each other created a secret language between you two that has people more confused than ever.

summarizing, you two live in your own peaceful bubble.

☆ JAY

the total-opposites couple.

it was quite shocking when you and jay (in totally unexpecting timing) announced that you were a couple.

It was just confusing how two people from completely different sides of the spectrum, came to find each other and fall in love in a sea of far more compatible suitors.

and as much people judge the love you held for jay and vice-versa, you two didn't care at all.

knowing that most of the time, different personalities could crash in the most catastrophic way and end heartbroken. jay and you were the exceptions.

a less cliche way to say "the opposites attract"

in fact, you considered the relationship being the most healthy you have ever been.

the difference of personalities created a satisfying balance that keep you two on your toes.

☆ JAKE

the 'couple goals' couple.

the title already explains it, you and jake are THE couple.

that makes everyone bubble with jealousy by the simple act of lacing your fingers together, bringing each other's favorite coffee, or just having matching lock screens.

jake's phone having a picture of the two of you cuddling, lara jean and peter style!

in general, just making the single crowd wish that they had a dynamic with someone as perfect as you two.

and in some rare cases, even the fellow couples get frustrated with your almost rom-com relationship.

to give an example, jake being the gentleman he is, always chooses to take your shopping bags rather than have you carrying unnecessary weight. which has you flustered and a stuttering mess every time, but we won't talk about that.

couples see this and give their significant other the 'why-won't-you-do-the-same-thing-for-me-you-idiot' look.

☆ SUNGHOON

the best-friends couple.

with sunghoon chaotic energy, it was expected that he would find an even more crazy person to match his energy.

it's always a party when the two of you are around, only the lucky close ones surviving in the loud environment that doubled when you started dating sunghoon.

and although you two go on dates and make things every other relationship does, the first reaction people would have at the sight of you two playfully wrestling, is how cute your friendship is.

don't take it in the wrong way though!

is just not expected that the two people fighting over a product in the candy section of the store are more than strangers really passionate about pepero.

or in this case, having a wrestling match.

you guys should really consider going pro

but after sunghoon cages you below him and plants a soft peck on your lips you can bet on the shocked faces of the people who thought you two were just really close friends.

☆ SUNOO

the adorably affectionate couple.

I don't think it comes as a surprise that the cute ball of light that is sunoo, would have an even cuter relationship with a matching adorable person like you.

although physical touch is ni-ki's love language, the affection shared between you two doesn’t make anyone uncomfortable.

quite the opposite, makes everyone feel the love and happiness that radiates the cupid-struck couple.

the constant happy giggles, and whispered praise can be heard from miles away.

people are so used to it that it literally became a tracking sign used whenever someone wants to locate you two

with the ethereal happily aura that surrounds you two, people can't help but think the same thing every time you two are on eyesight: they’re just the cutest!!

☆ JUNGWON

the destined-to-be-together couple.

okay, i know this as a really cliche trope but I LOVE IT.

you two were always, constantly, regularly, and repeatedly shipped together in the minds of EVERYONE.

friends knew in the back of their brains that you two would be perfect for each other.

and it seemed like the universe was in favor too

because no matter what, you guys were always in each other's life.

in need of comfort after a bad breakup? jungwon is there.

he is in desperate help of a new roommate? oh, look! you are there as well.

fate was constantly playing tricks on you two, that in a certain moment everything fell into place.

and it was like you two were seeing each other in a different light.

because sometime later you moved into jungwon's apartment,

and this time not as a roommate but as a partner.

☆ NIKI

the very-alike couple.

same interests, the same circle of friends, same passion. that's how you came to know niki.

it was a breath of fresh air to meet someone who understands you on such a deep level.

slightly shocking really, niki knows you like the back of his hand, and vice-versa.

you could say the relationship bloomed quite fast, but after spending five hours speaking to the boy you just met at the local cafe, you found yourself longing for his presence and easy aura constantly.

some can call your relationship basic, no opposites attract, no love at first sight or no major plot twist like the cheesy romance movies you two watch in lazy afternoons.

just two people who came to learn about each other and realized the chemistry they have every time their gazes accidentally lock at any social gathering.

simple and effortless, that is how you can describe the heartwarming relationship you have with the boy you came to love.