My Love List – from MindfulOne
- The several dozen different birds that sing me awake each morning. Even the damn crows, who start a ruckus at 5 a.m. Oh, and the owls I hear at night.
- Puns! I love sneaking a pun into conversation, the reactions I get. I love reading puns aloud, and I love that some of them make me laugh hysterically (especially “naughty” ones).
- Ribeye steak cooked medium is deeply savory and delightful. My husband cooks them perfectly.
- The redwood forest, especially the old growth ones, where I can feel the centuries in the atmosphere as I hike through.
- Taking walks to the local turtle pond; sometimes I see turtles, or ducks, and always the overgrown koi. Several times I’ve seen a wild turkey – one even flew up into a tree.
- Strong black coffee in the morning; black tea with honey in the afternoon.
- How I feel after I’ve done a strong cardio session on the elliptical or a hearty walk – strong, clear, vibrant, connected intimately with life.
- Ambient, instrumental, meditative music; folk music; eclectic alternative; trip-hop music; so many kinds of music that I listen to daily that helps me create and work.
- Losing myself in hours of flow when I paint, draw, collage, and write.
- I love my husband, who is my best friend and life’s gift to me.
- I love my child, whose existence has also taught me the importance of mothering myself, and who is also life’s gift to me.
- Chocolate, mostly dark.
- Baskin Robbins Love Potion #31 ice cream: a seasonal white chocolate and raspberry ice cream infused with raspberry swirls, chocolate chips, and raspberry filled hearts. I love especially that my local store orders enough to serve beyond February, into the end of April.
- Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey Ice cream.
- Camping, seeing national parks, and big campfires that last late.
- Reading books of all kinds, ones that teach me and ones that entertain.
- I love babies; they are so fresh and innocent, having just emerged into the world; they evoke a fierce energy in me to protect and cherish, and it feels like connection with something holy.
- Sunny days and clear skies with enough cool to maybe need a sweater.
- Rainy days that wash the streets clean and feel cozy.
- Seasons: I grew up with experiencing four seasons and now experience roughly two where I live now.
- Dancing, especially something called Ecstatic Dance, which is a free-form movement practice in a safe space with no alcohol, no shoes, no talking on the dance floor, in order to experience the joy of being.
- Afternoon naps.
- Cats and rabbits (I’ve had both as pets); really any animal that is friend-shaped.
- Deep conversation over coffee with friends.
- Looking for and finding beauty.