My Favorite Things

Yesterday Steve and I spent a harrowing 5 hours driving down to the Tacoma area and back to pick up a boat and motor. We did so in the midst of a hearty Nor’wester, and traffic was, to say the least, squirrelly. We both arrived home (safe and sound, thank all the gods) with raw nerves and tension headaches. As we passed several multi-car pile ups, I tried to quell my jitters by internally singing the song, My Favorite Things. You know the one, “raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens… I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don‘t feel so bad.” It’s one of my favorite tunes in the world. Yes, I lean more toward the classic rock sound, but I do also have a penchant for show tunes. I‘m not an uncultured heathen, I‘m only a heathen.


Anyway, the tune got me thinking about my favorite things. So, I decided after all the deep philosophical regurgitation of my soul gunk on my posts lately that I’d post ten of my favorite things. They are, in no particular order:


1) The scent of coffee brewing, followed by that first sip of deep, dark, murky brew.


2) The feel of opening a not new book, knowing that other hands have touched the pages, other eyes have seen the words, and wondering about the lives that have read the same copy that I’m reading.


3) The feeling of crawling into a bed made up with freshly laundered sheets.


4) Long, slow, soft kisses. Oy.


5) The whispery chatter sound of rain.


6) Dictionaries - I don‘t only like reading words, but also reading about words.


7) The enameled tin cup that my Grandmother brought over on the boat. To others, it just looks like a ratty old cup, but to me it is a symbol of strength and courage, of an intrepid, tenacious quest for a better life. Even more, it represents to me a woman who is one of my greatest heroes and one of my strongest inspirations.


8) The scent of the back of a man‘s neck. What is it with guys and their necks anyway?! It‘s like they‘ve got some kind of pheromone-laced secret sauce they slather on just to drive women crazy.


9) Old American-made trucks. It doesn‘t matter if they‘re Ford, Chevy, GMC, or Dodge. There‘s just something comforting about watchin‘ ‘em role.


10) Bread and everything about bread… making it, smelling it baking, eating it, sandwiches, warm with butter, gravy-soppin’, soaked up and slurpy… Bread. Yeast is one of the most ancient organisms in the world and it’s still alive when the dough hits the oven.


So, there you have it. These are a few of the many thousands of my Favorite Things. Things that make my day better just by thinking about them. What are yours? Share some.