Three Reflections on Why Existence Itself Is Worth Celebrating
A Note on Today’s Format
Instead of one long essay, today I’m sharing three short reflections tied together by a common thread. Think of it as a triad — three perspectives that complement each other.
1. A Hymn to Life
“My poems are hymns of praise to the glory of life.”
— Edith Sitwell
Not everyone writes poetry, but in our own way, we all compose hymns. Some write in verse, others in the simple acts of noticing: the warmth of a mug between your hands, the hush after a storm, the sound of laughter echoing in the next room.
Sitwell reminds us that life itself is worthy of praise — not because it always feels good, but because it exists at all. Your breath, your heartbeat, your chance to experience this improbable thing called consciousness — that is hymn-worthy.
Too often, we forget. We get lost in errands, in deadlines, in petty battles. We move through our days more like machines than like choirs.
Hymn-making doesn’t require perfection. It just requires noticing. And when you notice, you add your verse. Your verse might be a moment of gratitude before sleep, a walk that slows your breathing, a word of kindness that costs you nothing but ripples outward.
In that sense, every life is a liturgy. And whether you write poetry or not, you get to decide whether your days sound like noise, or whether they sing with praise.
2. Magic Moments
“There are magic moments in the world.
Life is glorious when we strive toward those magic moments and toward the magic in life.”
— my journal, age 17
At seventeen, I was already trying to capture in words what I didn’t want to forget: that life had magic, and that this magic was worth reaching for. I wrote the lines above in a scrawled notebook, probably with no idea that I’d be returning to them decades later.
And yet, they’ve held up. Magic moments aren’t constant, but they’re there — like stars you can only see if you look away from the glare. The taste of salt in the air on a windy day at the beach. A piece of music that seems to understand you. A conversation that makes you feel less alone.
We live much of our life in the in-between spaces: commutes, chores, obligations. But scattered throughout are moments that break the ordinary. They remind us that life is not just a machine for producing outcomes. It is also a stage for wonder.
When we honor those moments, we feed the part of us that was seventeen once — that still believes life is more than a checklist, more than a grind. That part of us still longs for the magic. And it’s still right.
3. Already a Win
I once described life as the greatest lottery of all. Out of trillions upon trillions of atoms in the universe, you and I were arranged into consciousness — aware, awake, able to notice beauty and consider meaning.
We forget this gift. We tell ourselves that life only counts if it looks a certain way: if we achieve this, acquire that, prove ourselves in some particular arena. And when those expectations fail, we call life (or ourselves) a failure.
But compared to the option of nonexistence, today — this day — is already a win. If you’ve ever lost someone you love, you know what I mean. You’d give anything just to sit with them again for five minutes. To hear their voice. To watch them stir sugar in their coffee.
We have those minutes right now. That doesn’t mean we stop striving, or stop pushing toward what matters. But it does mean we don’t let unmet expectations erase the value of what’s already in front of us.
You’ve already won the lottery by being alive. The real question is: will you cash in on it? Will you notice? Will you spend your “winnings” well?
Final Note
A hymn. A moment. A win. None of these require life to be perfect. They only require that you have life, and that you be conscious of it.
The great secret is that you don’t have to add anything to life for it to be worthy of your attention and appreciation. The fact that you exist at all is always present as a source of reverence and awe.
For more like this, visit the broader project at life-savor.com, or explore the Life Savor book itself.
To learn more about Life Savor’s philosophy,
read Life Savor: Treasuring Our Gift of Life by Erik Victor Reed.
