Colin Irwin Colin Irwin

10 Moments of Love in Life

  1. When my mom, aunt, or friend linked their arm through mine while walking together

  2. Jumping on the bed with fresh pajamas and putting on a face mask after a long shower at the end of the night

  3. Pulling clothes out of a washing machine and finding the stains on a white clothing piece vanished away magically

  4. Going on a long walk on an autumn morning, smelling fresh crisp air, with gentle wind blowing my hair away, and seeing the leaves changing color, tree by tree

  5. Walking out of the airplane after a long-haul flight, knowing that someone is waiting for me outside

  6. When a loved one saw my favorite food, movie, or just things, and said that it reminds them of me

  7. Eating hot pot on a cold rainy night, and it is always better with people (and laughter)

  8. Walking into a random restaurant or cafe without reading their reviews beforehand and the food turned out to be good

  9. When someone said they started doing or saying something because of me (as if I make an influence on them, hopefully a positive one :)

  10. Closing all the tabs on my laptop after finishing a big project

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Colin Irwin Colin Irwin

A Different Lens into People

Sometimes, I forget that even the biggest stars are human beings at the end of the day. Today at work, I helped out with a community-building event for faculty members — thirty professors and lecturers in their late 30s to 60s. This type of event fills with community-building dialogues and listening activities in a circle format, which is quite common in higher education. The activities are usually around the questions of what they love, how they show communication, and how to listen to others intentionally. In complete honesty, maybe because I’ve been required to attend so many of them, I felt quite bored while participating those activities previously. However, this time, I was there as more of a behind-the-scene member, watching these professors share anecdotes of their lives. So little, but also so much. I realized that they are also just ordinary human beings.

When the host asked each person in the circle to share something they love. Some touched my heart in a way I did not expect before.

“I love hearing my children laughing from the kitchen.”

“I love going to a concert with my 18 years old daughter.”

“I love Selena Gomez’s oreos.”

I don’t have a child nor have I tried Selena Gomez’s oreos, but I could easily imagine their love.

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