After watching segments of one of my most beloved classic movies, The Sound of Music, the song about favorite things got me to thinking.
The holiday season is a distant memory, we are struggling to keep resolutions, we are in that lull before spring strikes bringing with it renewed hope, fair weather, and new life. So many things to be thankful for yet not many can envision hope through frosted windows.
Winter has a way of dampening the spirits of some,making them grumble about the cold, and struggle to find any positives amid the barren late January landscape. For me, winter is my favorite season next to Autumn because it pushes me to be creative in finding ways to keep occupied. The crisp air is invigorating and I have all of my outdoor activities such as ice fishing which I so enjoy. Winter is also a good time to curl up with a good cup of coffee and go over my list of favorite things.
With that being said, here is my list of “Favorite Things” and I hope it inspires you to create and write down your own as a reminder of what is truly important and worth making time for!
-Church early in the morning when sunlight filters through age old glass lending prismatic color to ancient ritual.
– Family. Not just blood but friends near and far who bring joy, love, and unconditional support.
-Pets and their ability to love without question making us better as humans.
– Conversations. Not just awkward small talk about work and the weather but long conversations full of ideas, thoughts, hunting and fishing stories and laughter with people who make me want to stay up all night chatting.
– People who make me laugh so hard that I get the hiccups.
-Nightly calls to Dad. Just to hear his stories.
– My mother’s hands that once cradled my peach fuzz infant head, cooked meals, sewed quilts, brought down and cleaned wild game, and worked until they were raw and bleeding.
-Road trips. Getting in my truck with no destination in mind and just letting my internal compass guide me.
-Small town diners where old men gather to gossip over strong coffee and good food.
-Bakeries that are more long johns and Danish and less cupcakes and boutique.
-Books. The feel of a brand new copy yet to be devoured or the smell of a musty old tome filled with the ghosts of past readers tucked within its leaves in the form of discarded book marks, scribbled notations, and dogeared snapshots.
– People who are so unapoligetically themselves that they make you feel comfortable in being yourself.
-Sunrises and sunsets in my duck hunting marsh.
-Shed antler hunting when the last vestiges of snow provide enough nourishment to paint brown grass green in late winter sunlight.
-Watching old couples, who are still as in love as the day they got martied, blowing drinking straw wrappers at each other in restaurants.
-Being held at night by someone who doesn’t make me question how they feel about me. Safe, warm, loved.
-Wearing a fancy dress for no reason other than to go out to dinner.
– Cooking and sharing a meal with someone over lighthearted conversation.
-Old cookbooks; pages yellowed with age or burnt on the edges from getting too close to the stove. Chapters full of recipes that may not be good for the body but nourish the soul with their simple nostalgia.
– Old houses and barns that tell stories of times and people long gone.
– The sound of duck wings on opening day.
– The smell of REM oil after a day out hunting.
– The smell of horses and leather. The feel of a trusty steed’s heavy head resting on my shoulder as I gaze into his liquid eyes alive with love and understanding.
-Ice fishing in a worn out old portable shack that my dad bought for me at a yard sale.
-Panfish fried in butter because that’show Dad did it.
-Mason jars lining shelves like a colorful timeline of the year’s harvest.
-Fog lifting off the surface of the water, revealing the still beauty of the world as on the very first morning.
-Teaching someone something and then having them teach you even more about yourself.
-Old quilts on clotheslines that represent the subdued artwork of hard working women.
-Classic cars on modern highways. Candy painted steel time capsules on white wall tires.
– Snow falling in the light of a street lamp.
-Leaves that fall in autumn like scattered shards of cathedral glass.
-Black and white photos that force your mind to paint in the colors from distant memories.
-Gifts that are from the heart and not from a store. Time, love, a homemade treasure.
– The laughter and innocent trust of a child with wide eyes as you speak of impossibilities like Santa and the Easter bunny while you wish secretly your faith in legends was half as strong simply for the joy they bring.
– Old farmers, tractors, sunlight on wheatfields, the sound of a steam whistle on a Case Steam engine, the smell of logs burning in winter, holding hands while ice skating, watching movies for hours snowball fights in city parks, living, just living….
I could go on and on with my list of favorite things that involve simply the memories and experiences they evoke. For me, the list of things for which I am grateful is seemingly endless because each and every day presents new blessings to add to that record of my life. So, what is on your list?
So often we lament about how short life is and how we need to strive each day to add quality to the time we are given. We vow to take more time for family, adventures, and all those things that make us truly happy before it is too late. We also look back in regret at all the moments lost and things we failed to do in the past. If I have one single regret, it is that I did not meet my black lab Deshka sooner so that we would have had more time together.
The Pathless Woods 