One of the blogs I sometimes read mentioned writing down “seven things I love.” I’m assuming that’s not a list of specific people or animals and probably a little more profound than “mint juleps.” Although, I swan, (my grandmother said “I swan”) mint juleps are pretty doggone profound. There are a lot more than seven, of course, and that’s a good thing to remember. So many more things than seven.
- That moment just before the curtain goes up on stage, or just before the conductor lifts the baton. Get ready to be transported somewhere else.
- Train whistles at 2 a.m.
- A beautiful garden in the Spring. I can’t pick a favorite flower. (But it may be an iris. Unless it’s a peony. Unless it’s a rose.) And what about herb gardens? And cottage gardens with foxglove and hollyhocks? And the colors! Purple has to be the best, unless it’s that orangey pink or the creamy white. There has to be a bench in the shade, where I can sit and listen to the birds and smell the blossoms and feel a slight breeze.
- The memory of getting up in the middle of the night in Baja California, and seeing the moon over the Pacific Ocean, in a field of a zillion stars.
- The thrill of thunder when it echoes against the mountains.
- Watching the sun pop up from the horizon like a glorious magic trick, or go back down.
- Feeling like Jacob in the Bible waking from his dream: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.”
What are yours?
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That is a truly wonderful list, Sharon. I concur on all seven, although in my case, #4 would be seeing the moon over the Atlantic Ocean. I have too many to list, but I would add...the mockingbird that was singing his heart out at 2a.m. this morning when I couldn't sleep. Somehow his singing made me feel less alone.
ReplyDeleteI love this list. I love it that you pay attention to things like the moment before the curtain goes up.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know that thrill of #1~! And that haunting train whistle at 2:00 AM is something I love, too. So poignant and nostalgic. I can hear it more clearly in the winter when the air is cold and the sound travels faster. Except, I think mine is usually around threeish.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of a classical music concert is when the orchestra is tuning up. That initial clear oboe note, then each section separately matching it with the solo oboe note repeated in between, and then the free-for-all clamor that grows, complicates, and gradually sorts itself out until it suddenly subsides...with a lingering string practicing a last-minute measure before the "real" music begins.
ReplyDeleteDi, I know exactly what you are talking about and can hear it in my mind. It's all part of that wonderful moment.
ReplyDeleteBeth, Ann, and Willow, thank you all for your comments.
Beca's List:
ReplyDelete1. The red dirt under my feet. I love it like I sprang from it rather than from any human mother. I've been fortunate to see a bit of the country and it always amazes me, but this dirt is home.
2. The Low Country: the North Carolina and the South Carolina coastal plains. Salt marshes. Pluff mud. Rivers and estuaries and tidal plains. Egrets and alligators and moccasins. Copperheads and water snakes. Racoons and possums. Crabs and oysters. Mosquitos and fire flies. You either get it or you don't.
I get it.
3. A home-grown tomato.
4. My husband's dry, dry, wicked dry sense of humor and flawless comic timing.
5. Rain on the camper's roof in the middle of the night.
6. The fact that my children are better educated that I am and smarter than I'll ever be. Actually, this needs to be on a "thankful for" list, but it's good on the "love" list too.
7. The absolute joy of discovering threads of common interest and sparks of humor in others, along with a good slice of different experiences. It's like reading a new book written in a different genre by a favorite author, or tasting a different dish in a favorite restaurant, or hearing a favorite tune as interpreted by a different artist: familiar enough to put one at ease, new enough to surprise and delight.
8. Thai food (OK, I snuck one in!)
Thank you for your wonderful list and the chance to see wonder and delight through your eyes. :)