This was an interesting little exercise. I decided I needed to go to a happy place and so gave myself the exercise of writing down all the things I love. The exercise was interesting because the list is honest and gave me space to really think about things that make my heart sing rather then the things I’m obligated to love. This list does indeed make me happy. So here they are. Things I love, in no particular order:
When I feel healthy, good and strong
The feeling of summer breeze on my skin
Fresh cut grass
Really great design or art
Color, line and texture
Waking up in the morning with someone I love
Shopping
Boots and shoes (yeah, I have a thing…)
Pillow talk
The sound of car tires on a wet pavement
Writing
Music that is really powerful
Reading a good book on a stormy night
Sunshine and all its rewards
Interesting visual effects in nature (the long shadows of dusk, sunshine on a raindrop, shadows in fog)
Stuff that surprises me (in a good way)
The feeling of safety
Knowing I did good work
Being with my best friend
A good sense of humor
Laughing with my sons
Laughing with anyone, in fact.
Lighting
Books, journals, paper and pens
The waving grass on my Android
Kittens and puppies
My oasis
Naps
What do you love?
This exercise is a part of three journey’s of self discovery for my goals and missions of 2011. See also my posts on Things I Hate and Things of Which I Aspire.
Millie Donovan
I am looking forward to the other installments of “Things I…” You are absolutely right to say that without comparison, we cannot truly make any judgments. I took your lead and added a list of “My Favorite Things” to my blog and found that after putting the list together, some of them are actually things that I do not LOVE all the time. Like my new furry friend…sometimes she is a nuisance and hearing “I love you” because sometimes they are just words. Thanks for the perspective and have a LOVEly New Year!
Lisa
Hey Millie, I’m so glad you liked this. I was a bit trepidatious about posting it . . . it’s rather personal. But this list would not be complete without “Things I Hate” and “Things I Aspire to” coming up soon. This was an interesting exercise in that creating the list required me to be really honest with myself. Some things we say we love, but do we really?
Millie Donovan
Lisa,
What a wonderful reminder of LIFE. It is in the little moments that we collect along the way that we find peace and contentment. There are several things on your list that are at the top of mine—laughing, writing, great design/art, friends, my children, sleepy mornings…Thank you for sharing.