The Five Words I Say Every Day

& live reading of my poem, A Poem About The Things I Love

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Hi! My name is Tanner Olson and I am an author, poet, and speaker. Here I share poems, prayers, and stories of hope. Before you move onto the next thing hit the subscribe button! Thanks for being here.

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Most mornings I snap a photo of my coffee and draw a smiley face on the warm, black surface.

Then I write the words, JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE, somewhere on the screen.

I push send and now the internet knows I am just happy to be here.

These five words have become somewhat of a catchphrase for me. I’ve even made shirts. And most days, I am just happy to be here.

But then there are days when I am just happy to be here.

Life is heavy.
And hard.
And weird.
And fragile.
And unpredictable.
And frustrating.
And messy. 

I have good days and bad days and days that exist somewhere in-between.

Between the ups and downs, questions and answers, bursts of joy and moments of misery, I’m learning to step back and see the bigger picture. 

Writing the words “just happy to be here” is a helpful and grounding reminder that I am here. 

I am here.

Right here.

Not forever, but for now.

Here, where everything is far from perfect.

Here, where I am learning how to continue.

Here, where life is heavy and hard and messy.

Here, where I can snap a photo of my coffee, draw a smiley face, and write the words Just Happy To Be Here.

I am here.

Where I can love and be loved.
Learn and teach.
Hope and dream.
Rest and explore.
Forgive and be forgiven.
Walk a little slower and breathe a little deeper.

I am here.
And here is a good place to be. 

Years ago, I was having one of those days where I didn’t want to be here.
But in the quiet of my one bedroom apartment I remembered my own advice.

Years prior I had been a youth leader at a local church. One Sunday one of the youth approached me and another leader, sharing how she wasn’t just happy to be here. She told us about depression and anxiety. She told us about her insecurities and fears. She told us how every day seemed to be a little worse than the day before. She asked us if would ever get better. She asked if everything would be okay.

Like I said …

Life is heavy.
And hard.
And weird.
And fragile.
And unpredictable.
And frustrating.
And messy. 

I suggested we make a list of all the things we loved. 
Anything and everything.
She made a list.
I made a list.

The next week we compared our lists.

This didn’t make everything better, but it did, for a moment, remind us life isn’t only heavy and hard, but it is also beautiful and precious.

My list eventually turned into a poem titled, A Poem About the Things I Love.

Read the poem below or watch me read it (plus a long intro!).

A Poem About the Things I Love can be found in my book, Walk A Little Slower.

Video from a show at Prince of Peace in Fremont, California / 2023

A Poem About The Things I Love

I love poems that begin the same way they end.

I love full circles, like returning to where I began, and seeing the leaves turn from green, to brown, to ground, to green again. 

And I love basketball, the feel of the ball, the sound of squeaking shoes, but what I love most is how it reminds me of my dad.

How after mowing the lawn, we would shoot hoops in the street below the Florida sun, just father and son. 

I love the smell of rain and the haunting sight of dark clouds.

I love déjà vu.
I love déjà vu.

And I love food that makes me hurt. 

If you listen carefully you can hear the bells of Taco Bell ringing and my stomach is ready to start singing.

I love feeling home in an empty room, and I love when you text me, and I wish you’d do it more.

I love when the windows are down and the music is loud.

I love black coffee.

Ethiopian pour over, if you will, but diner coffee will always taste like Saturday mornings at the Townhouse as we’d watch the chickens cross the road. 

I love dogs and most days, I wish I was one.

I love words and how they can move us and heal us and shake us and shift us and leave us different. 

I love front porches and rocking chairs and rocking with you without being distracted by our phones. 

And I love romantic comedies, and I don’t know why, and I don’t care if you don’t, but do you remember in How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days when we knew what was going to happen but didn’t know how? 

I liked that. 

I don’t know why, but I did.

I love couches that hold you like a baby. 

And it goes without saying because I'm a breathing human being, but I love chips and queso.

I love road trips and spicy chicken sandwiches from Chick-fil-A, and that’s all I have to say.

Except, I love when we are together. 

The heavy loneliness melts away, and you’re the light that welcomes me home to stay.

The hands that wrap warmth around; the look in your eyes is a gift that keeps this list long.
And for a moment, I’m no longer stressed out or bummed out, I’m just happy to be here.
I’m just happy to be here. 

With you, I’m just happy to be here.

I love poems that begin the same way they end.

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