things i love ...

My friend, RoiAnn, and I met when I was twelve years old when we were in a production of Tom Sawyer at the Santa Clara Junior Theatre. We did several shows together during our youth, but we both grew up, move along our lives, and grew apart.

Through the wonder that is Facebook, she and I reconnected. Since then, I learned that she has come out of the closet, lives in Chicago with her partner, her stepdaughter, and her adopted daughter. She writes a blog called “Are You the Babysitter”. In her words, she is a “queer mama co-parenting by love, step, adoption and the skin of my teeth.”

She asked a few other bloggers to post “Things I Love” and link to her blog and vice-versa. This request has had me thinking about the word love. Those who know me well know that thinking about things gets me in trouble. I over-think things, deconstruct and dissect them, analyze them, and then re-build them into something that doesn’t even resemble what I started thinking about. And then, I get flustered and start thinking some more.

So … before I get to my list of “Things I Love,” here are some things that crossed my mind when thinking about the words “things” and “love.”

I believe that “words mean things” and they are powerful, whether used correctly or incorrectly. What one says or writes is powerful and the correct words can change perceptions, thoughts, and points of view. They can incite positive thought and action or destructive fanaticism and behavior. words have the power to lift one up or take one down. Words mean things.

 

Things:  Should I focus my list of topics on inanimate objects, items you can touch or hold, or should I also include people, places, thoughts, and concept?

Love: Should I focus on the deep meaning of this word or the over-used, conditioned response as in, “I love cherry pie?”

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Waitaminit. Here I go again. I am over thinking it. So, really, who the hell cares? I’ll just get to it … here’s my list:

• I love cherry pie and I love everything cherry flavored
• Pumpkin pie … oh yeah! Pumpkin pie!
• My dog, Victor; he is my little angel and is the best dog in the world
• The ocean and the beach
• Cereal, any kind of cereal -- it’s my favorite food group
• Sleeping with the windows open on cool summer nights
• My bookshelves, except for when they need to be dusted
• The smell of Pledge and the smell of Pine-Sol
• The change of each season, especially when summer turns to autumn
• The hush that comes over New York City during the first big snow storm
• My own chicken stir-fry because I like the way I cook it
• Noticing architectural details of buildings like the cornices and the inlaid detailing many stories high
• The sound of rain on roofs or windows and thunder stores
• Sitting in Riverside Park and watching the Hudson River run by
• The varying colors of sunsets
• The smell of campfires, bonfires, fireplace fires
• Watching the fog roll in over Twin Peaks in San Francisco
• Having a sense of humor and finding the funny in everything
• Laughing so hard that I cry
• Figs picked from the tree
• Beefsteak tomatoes sliced and sprinkled with sugar
• Gummy Bears eaten in this color order: yellow, white, green, orange, red
• Lemonade, lemon drops, lemon pound cake, lemon candies, lemon slices, lemon, lemon, lemon
• Cooking for friends or for just one special someone
• The smell of gardenias
• Pomegranates … the actual fruit, not the juice (although the juice is good, too)
• Mexican Food … anytime … anyplace (except London – yuck!)
• Watching TV ... but not reality shows, unless they are talent- / contest-based programs
• Being sober and learning to live life on life’s terms
• My family and friends, who have supported me unconditionally and with love and laughter
• Marzipan and Baklava and lots of almond extract in raw cookie dough
• The musty smell of old books and the way the pages feel in your hand
• Window seats on airplanes
• Telling stories and spinning yarns
• Facebook for bringing me back into contact with old friends and for bringing new friends into my life

And … while you are at it, take a look at RoiAnn’s list and read and sign up for her blog.

*Click the grey text links to get to other posts of mine and to access RoiAnn's Are You the Babysitter blog.
** Feel free to include your "loves" in comments below ...

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