Thursday 13

Thursday Thirteen

13 Things I Love

1. The smiles on my children's faces. The older they get the less frequently they appear. I think that's why I continued to have babies: because the little ones smile with such precious, innocent, unadulterated joy. They are untouched, and their smiles are so sincere.

2. My husband's laugh. It makes me want to hop up and hug him, it makes me smile, even when I'm mad at him. Funny how I've only recently begun to notice that, when we've been together 14 years.

3. The ocean, and the way it makes me feel small, yet somehow important, empowered - connected, and awed. Every time.

4. A full moon. I think people probably think I'm pagan or Wiccan or something, the effect it has on me.

5. Peace. Inner peace. It sounds trite, I know, until you know some sense of it. I did once, for a while, and am reminded lately to search for it again.

6. The garden. Burying my nose in a cluster of Lilacs. It is a smell I will always mentally connect with a sense of safety and contentedness. Sitting cross legged on the ground, dew soaking through my clothes first thing in the morning, hot coffee in hand, admiring the sheer perfection of the first Canna Lily as it erupts through the dirt; green and sharp and determined - and beautiful, all perfectly curled around itself. It, to me, is the perfect symbol of the strong woman.

7. Reading something I can get lost in. I like psychological thrillers especially, but anything that will make me think particularly about accepted premises of religion and social behavior/beliefs. Tom Robbins in particular, because his writing is so layered, challenges even the basest of religious concepts, and is humorous, in a dry sarcastic intellectual sort of way. Thank you again Erin, I'm quite the addict!

8. Poetry. I love reading poetry, particularly image-rich verse, sans rhyme. I love writing poetry. I LOVE writing poetry. And I also love critiquing poetry, and will often critique a piece, not for the writer's benefit, but for that which I learn from doing so.

9. Creating. It's a control trip, I know, but I love being able to look at something and say, "I did that." That applies to many different things, from gardening to poetry to decorating (ie: painting walls etc...) and to my children, who are my greatest creation.

10. Loving, being loved, and generally seeing love in action. It is a powerful thing, and often reaffirms my philosophies of honesty, generosity and acceptance.

11. Seeing instances where good has happened, whether I had anything to do with it or not. It is an honor to be a witness to someone being touched, moved, changed for the better.

12. Respectful irreverence and open-minded dialogue concerning those beliefs and opinions that so many people hold fast to like life preservers in a flood. A willingness to challenge the accepted norms of society, and the rare occasion that society embraces that difference.

13. The radical displays of nature's power: lightning, thunder, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions.


Tagged: Thursday Thirteen