When asked “what are a few of your favorite things?” Does a tsunami of images bombard your mind? I hear Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music categorically list a multitude of things from “bright copper kettles to silver white winters that melt into springs…” I am very similar to Julie Andrews in that I hold a significant number of “things” as favorite things. My boys often finish my sentence when I hear a song on the radio and excitedly begin to say, “this is my…” “yes mom” they say, “we know, this is one of your favorite songs!” <insert indignant eye roll here>. The same scenario plays out when I watch one of my “favorite” movies with them.
If forced to list a few of my favorite things, I would do the other million things a disservice, plus my mind would constantly be changing these “few” things because when such items come to the surface of my mind, then my original favorite things change. In the spirit of answering the auspicious question “what are a few of your favorite things?” My list would begin with my family….especially my sons. When I think of them my heart swoons. To say I’m a proud mother would be an understatement. They are my heartbeat! Next would be music. When I hear a song, the song can take me to a happy memory or sad memory; however, music allows me to “feel” something. To list a “favorite” song, well, let’s just move to the next thing. Babies are next. Human, puppies, kittens, ducklings, etc. Not necessarily reptiles, but to each his own. Now that the tsunami has begun, I have to honestly say, people. People are on my short list of favorite things. At this point I may lose a few readers; however, I look at people and think that at one point they were a newborn baby. Innocent, non-tainted, pure. I think about what they may be going through, what struggles or conquests they are handling. What makes them happy, what makes them sad. How did they get to where they are? Perhaps this is why I pursued a graduate degree in psychology.
I could continue for hours, days, months, years; however, I will end with no matter what is among your few favorite things, in a world today with such struggles and strife, take a precious moment regardless of what mood you are in and think of at least one of these “favorite” things and hold onto either the thought or item and give it thanks. It was lucky enough to make YOUR list.
