You know I just had to post this song, don’t you, you smart pups.
And, big beautiful morning to all of you.

I like to keep on the sunny side of life. I’m not always successful all of the time, but I do put an effort into having a positive outlook most of the time. I also enjoy encouraging others to smile, count their blessings, look for the silver linings. The whole one door opens when another closes idea.

How nice it is when we can see opportunities to learn even from unfortunate circumstances. For example, I grew up in a home where my parents were the Bickersons. It drove me nuts and I vowed not to repeat that. I’m now in a loving relationship where there is no bickering, no snarking, no one telling the other what to do. I’ll tell you something funny. When I first met my mother-in-law, she told me I shouldn’t tell Chris what to do, that he really didn’t like that. Ha! See? She was telling me what to do. My reply to her was that I figure most people don’t really like it.

One of my favorite things is having good friends. We know that a good friend is one who is honest and supportive. One who has your best interests at heart in your communings.

“Maybe other people are like mirrors that we see ourselves in; versions of ourselves that vary dramatically depending on the particular cut of glass.”

― Jonathan Hull, Losing Julia

Picture in your mind, me giving all my firedoglake friends a big old hug. Oh, heck, let’s just do a group hug. On three.

Another of my favorite things is stuff that smells good. Like, flowers, pumpkin pie or chocolate chip cookies baking, and scented candles. I especially like scented candles. This past December, I’m sure some of you may remember, my son had oral surgery for all four of his wisdom teeth. The surgeon was marvelous and we had visited him before. When it was time to leave, after getting instructions on home care, the doctor came into the room and gave me a candle in a jar. It was such a sweet gesture. I’d never received a gift from a doctor that I can recall. It smelled wonderful. Past tense. I burned it all up. And, I didn’t even burn it at both ends. The amazing thing about this candle is also the label. It’s Om Made, a spiritually sound soy candle. When I looked up their website, I gasped. That candle is 20 smackeroos. But, it will be well worth it to order some more and so I will. Vibes, man. Good vibes and good smell.

Have you noticed how smells are connected to memory? You open a drawer. Or, you turn a corner on the street. Or, you slice into a particularly fresh piece of fruit or vegetable. That rush of odor takes your mind back to another place and time. The first time you looked into the eyes of your child, or the eyes of a new friend or a pet. A first date. A nice vacation that you have taken. What memories do you have with particular scents?

“When nothing else subsists from the past, after the people are dead, after the things are broken and scattered· the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls· bearing resiliently, on tiny and almost impalpable drops of their essence, the immense edifice of memory” -Marcel Proust “The Remembrance of Things Past”

I don’t want to make this too long, since it’s Saturday morning and I’d hate for your coffee or tea to get cold before we all start yapping, or forbid, bore you. But, here are a few more of my favorite things:

  • The feel of barefeet on a newly cleaned floor.
  • The smell of fresh laundry, especially if it’s dried outside.
  • Seeing a kind word in an email from a friend.
  • When I remember to poke my head out the door in time to see the sunset.
  • Chocolate.
  • A trip to the plant nursery.
  • When my husband or son fills up my car for me as a surprise.
  • Vanilla Haagen Daaz
  • 25% off Tuesday for kittens at the thrift store.
  • Whiskers on old ladies.

See what I did? Made you smile. I’m off the hook.

When we look at our favorite things, we can’t help but feel the richness of our lives, I think. People talk about a glass being half empty or half full. I prefer to see my cup as running over. You people are pretty swell friends and I thank you all.