so...you know that song from the sound of music, my favorite things? can you recall the verse: "when the dog bites, when the bee stings, when i'm feeling sad,"? well... i am certain that all three of those things shouldn't happen in the same week!
back in may/june i had several moments when i felt sad. mostly because i missed my brother (he's in brazil), i was loosing my tan and gaining pounds (an awful combination), i sorta got dumped (for the first time), a good friend from high school was basically ignoring me (thanks a lot mr. bergan) and i moved (the third major move in six months).
then, one thursday, i got bit by a dog. not just a playful nibble, but a chopped down drew blood vicious bite from my brother and miss steen's dumb dog sophie. ok....so it might have been my fault, just a little bit...but it throbbed none the less.
finally, the straw that broke this camel's back...june 4th, i got stung by a bee. not just any bee either...a dead bee with vengeance out for my wee little pinky finger.
so there i was sitting in my grandpa's truck trying to decide if the mass amount of swelling in my right littlest finger was something i should be concerned about, when the sun glared in from the window and distracted me. i couldn't help but think: oh of course! it would be a sunny day in june when i get stung by a bee! and of course i, jeannette, of all people would still have a dog bite wound that needs its bandages frequently changed. and of course i can't help but feel a teensy sad because my grandpa seems upset by the small number of fish we caught today. it is a freaking sound of music trifecta!
and its hilarious to me now thinking back about how my following thoughts went from sad to a sort of upset angry to sarcastic to making fun of myself and then to over joyed by the irony so quickly. said progression went something like this:
...how am i suppose to feel better when there are no snowflakes to stay on my nose and eyelashes? why are the roses not in bloom? what the freak is schnitzel?!? how come i have never ever gotten a brown paper package tied up with strings? are ten year old cats' whiskers as effective as kittens'? hehe. i knew i should have brought warm woolen mittens. this is like the best story ever! i'm totally gonna write my brother and tell him all about it, maybe this would be a good blog too. gosh it is such a pretty day. dang! my finger and bite wound really are throbbing...
i'm pretty sure at about that point my grandpa interrupted my internal monologue and i welcomed the excuse to get away from my thoughts and back into a normal conversation.
over the following days i enjoyed telling my comedy bit about my life, the sting, the bite, the sadness of it all was really fun to laugh at. i just couldn't help, but shake the feeling that the list of favorite things from the movie weren't really doing the trick.
then i realized the point of the song isn't to think of julie andrews' voice singing a list of someone else's favorite things...well unless you're like me and you really enjoy musicals and julie's voice...but rather to remind us to think of all the simple and wonderful things that make life better.
so...i started to think of my favorite things, and as always i want to share them with you-my loyal readers. cause well... i think they are an excellent collection of simply reasons that make my life worth living.
my favorite things might not rhyme or have the sing song rhythm, but they do the trick, they put a smile on my face. bonfires with mallows and roasted bursts. going to get the mail and finding a letter written to me. indoor plants. spending time with babycakes, darb, miss funkhouser or any of my other wonderful family members. bright colorful patterns. cinnamon apples. comments on my blog, facebook, photos, etc. cooking meals that are so good people ask for seconds even when they're stuffed to the rafters. my mommy's hugs. telling life stories that make people smile, laugh, think, etc. giving piggyback rides. radio stations that play the songs i can sing along to. boating on a hot summer day. things on major sale. lord darlington and i on a long stretch of road. simply orange juice. the smell of warm pine trees. dollar bill rings. and so many other things.
i simply remember my favorite things...
and then i don't feel so bad!
28. thinking about my favorite things.
what are your favorite things? do you have any favorite memories of times we've shared together?
