What makes your heart beat faster?

On Tumblr I was asked what makes me passionate and what makes my heart beat faster. And I keep thinking that I’m not passionate about anything, but when phrased in that slightly different way: “What makes my heart beat faster?”, I suddenly realized that I do, in fact, have answers.

What makes my heart beat faster?

Music. Amazing music that I’ve never heard before but is so wonderful I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to find. Music by my favorite bands. Concerts and shows. Street music that’s incredibly talented and makes me pause to listen. Playing the piano and getting emotionally involved in what I’m playing.
Reading. Getting so caught up in a good book that I can forget about my own life for a little bit. Feeling understood. Learning new things. Feeling invested in another person’s life, because their blog posts are so well-written or so relatable.
People. Sharing a mutual look with a stranger about events happening around us. Catching a guy looking at me and then glancing away when I glance at him. Making a new friend. Making friends on the internet. Realizing how much you have in common with someone. Just laying back on my bed with my best friend listening to music and talking (or not talking). Observing a room of strangers doing their own thing, walking down the street or in a cafe.
Living. Really experiencing life. Taking walks through the woods, going on mini trips, opening the windows and breathing in the fresh air, trying new things, getting excited about things (even if people will make fun of me for liking the thing I’m excited about).
Writing. Writing poems. Even bad poems. Writing letters to friends or birthday cards for my parents. Writing lists. Writing blog posts. Answering anonymous questions.

 

What makes your heart beat faster, dear reader?

What counting calories this week taught me about myself:

I don’t eat anywhere near the same amount of calories every day. There will be a couple days where I’ll only eat 1000-1200 calories, and then there’ll be several days where I eat somewhere between 1800 and 2000 calories. I really like dessert (and anything you could potentially call a dessert), and it’s not exactly healthy, but it’s enjoyable, so I eat it. I also eat a lot of ice cream, even though I inevitably end up in a small cramped ball somewhere on the floor 15 minutes later, because I’m lactose intolerant (you’d think I’d learn my lesson, but it just tastes so good…).

I don’t eat the healthiest, but I don’t eat less than what I’m supposed to be eating on a daily basis, and I don’t eat extra on a daily basis, either. I rotate it through, and that’s good enough for me.