Last month, Kimchisama wrote a blog post that would be the beginning of this award, the My Reasons Why award. I highly recommend you read her original post, although, fair warning, it is a bit sad, to say the least. In the post, Kimchi talks about some horribly tragic events that have taken place at the school where she works. In light of those terrible events, she has decided to start the My Reasons Award, an award that, at its core, is a celebration of life.

As someone who recently struggled with depression, I know it can sometimes be hard to find anything worth appreciating, especially when you feel like complete trash. But in spite of that, it is important to remember that no matter how hard it gets, there are things worth living for.

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Mention the person who nominated you (that would be Auri-san and Chizu. Thank you both!).
2. List thirteen reasons why you keep going/living.
3. Nominate 10 people
4. Use the picture Kimchi created (It is going to be my header image for this post).

Without further ado, my thirteen reasons why:

1. My family – I really could not imagine leaving my family without so prematurely. I know it would hurt them to have me leave.
2. My friends – If it was not for a lot of my friends, I would not be the person I am today. From my casual acquaintances to the friends I made in my high school newspaper, to my best friend. It is not wrong to say that I live a lot of my life for them.
3. The News – It might sound a little weird, but the reason I got into journalism is so that I could listen to and get involved in amazing stories. When I hear good stories, it makes me feel better about the world.
4. Anime – I would be remiss not to mention half of the reason this blog even exists. I’ve been aware of the phenomenon of anime ever since I was twelve, and its impact has not been lost on me.
5. Politics – It might also sound weird to say that I live for politics, but a lot of politics is just another way to hear different people’s stories. Everyone has different reason’s for the things they believe, and some are deeply personal.
6. Podcasts – I have recently remembered how much I love listening to podcasts, mostly because of the conversational aspect of it. I love hearing people exchange ideas in a more casual setting.
7. Books – There are a lot of books that I have been really wanting to read but I have not gotten the chance to, so hopefully I can get to all of those.
8. Manga – Same thing as for books. Especially Tokyo Ghoul:re, because I am still a little confused on some things.
9. Hot showers – Cold showers are pretty good, but there is nothing like being under a constant stream of warm water for a few minutes.
10. Twitter – It really is the best place for some of the dumbest things possible, all while realizing that no one takes it seriously.
11. Memes – *Inhales a plate of delicious memes*
12. Poetry and writing – the other half of my blog which makes it complete.
13. Blogging – Having a space to vent and talk about myself, my problems and everything else related to my experience as a human being has been helpful in a lot of ways.

And now for nominations:

I thought it would be better to just go ahead and nominate everyone who reads this. I think this is a really important award, not because it’s not important, but because everyone has there reasons for living, and I think sharing them is important.

Thank you all for being on this journey with me. You are all wonderful.