There are things we do because they are useful, things we do because they are expected of us, and then there are the things we do because, for a little while, they make the world feel more alive and joyous.
We are often taught to measure our lives by what can be named: the work we have done, the degrees we have earned, the problems we have solved, the things we have made. Even our passions can become another form of achievement, something to perfect, monetize or eventually turn into a profession. But some of the most sustaining pleasures in life ask for none of this. They ask only to be loved.
