For something obvious to mention, I would honorably say everything written by Mary Oliver, but one of them is, “If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate,” from Swan: Poems and Prose Poems and, “Let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.”

Reading her words always makes me feel happy and affectionate. Her works are so brain-chemistry-altering because she shows you that love is everywhere. There are so many simple things in life that can make you realize how beautiful life still is, despite the misery and everything in between. Crumbs of human connection and nature—or yourself. The relationship with yourself, in how you still manage to wake up every day and survive this far! As she said, it’s a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world.