Yesterday, Macy issued a challenge and basically volunteered me to go first, ha, so here's my list of loves. I'm not really so worried about whether anyone will love the same things or think I'm odd, but I do like to remind people that this was stream-of-consciousness listing with no editing.
I love . . .
1. Church choirs and gospel music, all kinds of both, BUT if you want me to feel chills from the tip of my head all the way down to my tapping toes; if you want me to jump up and sway to the music, swing my hips and shimmy, shout an Amen as the Holy Spirit does the funky chicken and my soul leaps from my body to shake, rattle and roll with everyone else’s; if you want tears to stream down my face while my heart bursts with lovely things like joy, peace and goodwill to all, then you take me to the south side of Chicago, to an African American church with a huge, community-building congregation, where the choir is at least 250 members strong and the funky choir director does the butterfly while the sax plays a sound so sweet, so pure that birds appear in sunny, cerulean skies, where the band includes two pianos, two organs and a full brass section that moonlights in the blues clubs, where the soloist makes Aretha Franklin look like just another kid on the block as she belts out her song from some well deep inside and the song birds outside whisper, “listen.” Amen, baby, Amen. Amen.
2. Outdoor rock concerts, especially at Soldier Field down by Lake Michigan on starry summer nights when the band plays songs that everyone knows the words to, and the mood is just right so everyone feels uninhibited enough to joyously rock out, dance, sing, become best buds with peeps they’ve never seen before and likely will never see again, but for that moment, everyone is in it together and it’s possible to believe that music could change the world, that everyone could dance and laugh and sing together, be united, if only there was a venue and sound system big enough.
3. Dancing. Not a big surprise after the first two. It’s been years since I’ve taken a dance class – but I have three equal loves here. The first is when you’ve learned a dance step or piece, and you’ve been practicing and practicing, and you finally have it down technically, so now you’ve started to make it your own. The second is when there’s no format, no steps, just you and the music and it carries you away—you could be in a crowded room but you wouldn’t know it, or you could be in your living room but in your mind your on your own dance floor. The third is watching a phenomenal dancer do his/her thing. It can inspire me, move me to tears—it’s an art form that really gets to me.
4. The look. There will be a moment when I see my son and my husband off doing something together – building a birdhouse, playing catch or soccer, watering the plants, walking down the block, whatever. My heart gets very full; I feel a soulful thrum, sweet and lowdown; I want to capture the moment in a photograph in my memory forever. The world feels almost perfect. Then, they look at me and both of their faces light up, their smiles in their eyes and the almost disappears.
5. Long, deep, lively, interesting conversation covering anything and everything from the personal to the public and the political, from the spiritual to huge scandal, as long as it’s not tedious surface chit chat. If possible, I’d love to be at a great outdoor café, maybe on a piazza.
6. Movies, movies, movies. All kinds of movies. Preferably at the theater, with a big bucket of popcorn and a cushy seat that allows for some personal space. My favorite date? My husband., or if it’s a “chick flick”, my sisters. My favorite movies? Too many to name but the first two that popped into my head were Life is Beautiful and Braveheart. I like it best when all my emotions are roused and there’s catharsis.
7. Books! Not just books I read or love individually. All books. When I was a manager at Border, my pulse would jump, and my eyes would twinkle when a new shipment came in. I love the smell. I love the weight. I love the smooth, pretty covers. I love sorting them, shelving them, setting up displays, making recommendations, buying them, seeing what other people buy, finding a place for them in my library, reading them (of course), doing children’s story hours with them, book clubs. Books!
8. Classes. Liberal arts classes. Yoga classes. Dance classes. Writing classes. I prefer a setting with a window, a progressive, “cool” teacher, and subjects that challenge me on multiple levels. I like a good give and take, and lots of collaboration with room for independence and creativity. Lots of creativity. In the end, I like to be able to say I've grown, I've learned, I've discovered.
9. Hand crafted wood furniture—cherry, oak, pine, French country style, Neopolitan, Mission, shaker, Amish. Simple, ornate—doesn’t matter. I’m into the craft of it. I’m partial to desks and bookshelves, but I’d love to just fill mansions and mansions with cool wood furniture—even thought I have no desire for mansions.
10. Huge, old trees especially in autumn when the leaves turn color or after the first snow, which is sorta funny given my love of wood furniture and books. Around here, I’m partial to oaks and willows. In the south, I love live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. I’m in awe of majestic redwoods.
11. Tulips. Multi-colored fields of them. Red, Yellow, Purple, Blue, Pink, White.
12. Kissing. (Too funny,--tulips made me think of kissing). Long, lingering, deep, wet, slow kissing that gets increasingly passionate but isn’t overlooked in a hurry to get to something else.
13. New Orleans, Florence, San Remo, Venice Beach and Sedona. I love to travel, but of the places I’ve visited these call to me, “Come back . . . soon.”
14. Bodies of water—oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, creeks, waterfalls. Water.
15. Sandy beaches with balmy breezes and a good book in hand. I love a good trek along the beach, too, walking right along the shore, footprints being washed away by the waves.
16. Funky cross necklaces, especially handmade.
17. Large, centuries-old catholic churches with stained glass windows and amazing art, especially in Italy.
18. Bright, colorful sixties and seventies clothes and memorabilia.
19. Aha moments.
20. A good adrenalin rush – I’ve mellowed on this but I still love fast, loopy roller coasters, skydiving (my memories since it's been awhile) and taking risks.
21. The feeling after a good work out, especially yoga but anything that releases tons of toxins works.
22. A good cause, which for me usually means it’s a cause that promotes social justice, freedom, children’s rights, women’s rights, human rights, access to quality education, literacy, animal rights, PEACE and/or protects the environment.
23. Animals, especially dogs, deer and horses. Imperial stags with 14 point antlers take my breath away.
24. Okay, I just can’t NOT include my family. My immediate family, including my dogs, who are lovable, loyal mutts and my larger crazy, lovable, extended family. And in general, I love families because they provide roots and wings and these little microcosms of the world, which is good, bad, easy, difficult and everything in-between.
25. Breaking bread together with family and friends, especially warm, artisan breads fresh out of the oven, so warm the butter melts as soon as you spread it on, and especially around a big round table so everyone can see each other and talk.
Of course, as soon as I sent the list in, I realized I forgot writing-- writing! But that's not as bad as forgetting storytelling. My entire life I've been called a storyteller. And, I forgot massages. I'm a freak about massages. Oh well. It's not supposed to be the 25 things we love the most, it's the 25 things we thought of first.
1 comment:
I did kinda throw you under the bus with going first, but I knew you'd do it. Thanks.
I'll go tomorrow. Who's next?
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