A good night's sleep, chocolate, the happiness and satisfaction of sharing on AgingCare forum. Does anyone have some favorite things to think about? Yes, this phrase is from the song in the movie "The sound of Music". My husband and I often resort to using movie lines and song to improve communication. We were the only two in a gathering of people who heard the background music playing. We both had the same (cassette tape/CD). A connection bringing two people together. To this day, we crack up when one uses a simple movie line to make a serious point.
SO, What is one of your favorite movie line, some of your favorite things?
The wily robin sat on a spade waiting for the worms to merge from the freshly dug earth
The blue tits spending their lives chasing madly around the gardens and trees looking for food for their chicks
The wobbly walk of puppies taking their first steps
Watching ducklings trying to clamber up a step when following their mum who made the step easily
Cooking for friends and sending a whole evening talking about old times and silly things we did
Dad's diaries - they are so precious too
The way the early morning mist burns off leaving a warm sunny day
Splashing in puddles like a big kid
The look and feel of real wood after you have polished it
A row of newly pressed (ironed) clothes hanging neatly by colour and type in your wardrobe (oh god I did do this too)
Highly polished shoes (I should have been in the army)
Seamed stockings (back in the day when my legs looked good in them)
The smell of lavender wafting on the breeze
Essential oils of jasmine and geranium mixed with ylang ylang and a minuscule amount of patchouli (too much and I vomit)
The smile on a genuine poor persons face when you take the time out not to give them money but to buy them a meal - a real one not a burger and a drink or perhaps some shoes for their feet - While on holiday I did this in Jamaica to a genuinely poor gent who said good morning to me every morning and doffed an invisible cap to me - he had no shoes and his clothes were clean yet ragged. When we went out to dinner that evening I bought an extra meal and a huge coffee and went outside and found him and gave hime the meal. Next day he was waiting for me with a bunch of flowers (I didn't like to ask where they came from).
Before we went home we asked all the people on our holiday if they had clothes (male ones of course) that we could donate to this sweet old man - he was about 70/80 but looked much older. Well I tell you generosity was amazing. One couple gave me 100$ (US) so we went to the local minister who knew him well and asked what we could get him for the money we collected (almost 900$ in total) The minister said he needs shelter and this would get him a refuge home - not for a huge length of time but enough for him to get well again - let me tell you those acts of human kindness meant a lot. The minister arranged for him to go to his house and have a shower and he would have been able to cream his body forever we gave him so much aftersun and suntan cream that we weren't taking home with us. About 6 pairs of flip flops that would last him a while.
Thats a favourite memory for sure
Your comment on wood reminds me of how much I like the smell of wood being cut - that woodsy aroma that makes me feel as if I'm in a forest.
Once we visited Mackinac Island and rode around it on bikes (no cars are allowed - only pedestrian, horse and bike traffic). We stopped at a forest and leisurely sauntered through, inhaling that fresh and somewhat exotic scent of the combination of trees, plants and perhaps something mysterious that we never identified.
It always reminded me of Longfellow's poem, Evangeline:
"This is the forest primeval. ..."
The scent of junipers and pines in winter is also especially enticing - so appropriate for those cold days, days in which spirits are high as it's just the beginning, not the end of winter.
I've also learned that there are some tricks the street and highway panhandlers use. (1) stay on the major cross road or highway intersections, (2) be out in rush hour (3) add "God bless" on the sign they hold. Maybe there's a school they go to or website they have? That sounds callous, but to clarify I'm referring to those who panhandle instead of work; I'm not referring to someone who really is destitute. But how to tell the difference???
I used to give to panhandlers on the streets of Detroit, but when a few of them got aggressive I became more than a bit frightened.
The ones calling from foreign countries are a real nuisance; Often they use spoofed numbers, but they have a distinct way of speaking. One has been harassing people for months, inferring he's with the IRS and is attempting to help the recipient of the call avoid prosecution for fraud.
His spiel begins "this message is intended to contact you." "Contact" is pronounced con tact', with emphasis on the second syllable. I can't figure out his accent - it's not British; it's a blend of different countries.
I love Eskimo dogs... Malamutes, Huskies - they're such energetic dogs - and those marvelous blue eyes!
My favourite things:
My Little House on the Prairie, peace and quiet
The ability to grow a lot of our food without pesticides
And most of all my beloved critters:
Sue, 6, a minpin x jack russell terrorist, inherited from my mother
Ashy Girl, 9, a big black lab who came from rescue 2 years ago. Abused in a former life shes come a long way though still spooky around strangers or new thing or places.
Charlie, 8, former street cat when I lived in the city and head of the Mouse Squad
Katie cat, 7 pulled from a horrible situation when she was little
Pixie cat, 7, inherited from my mother
Lucy cat, 1, found on a nearby dirt road, sick, starving and desperately trying to eat a piece of long dead bird. She was so small when she came she could sit in the palm of your hand.
And then there is Ralph, a fancy goldfish who lives in my home office and has been with me for years. Frankly I prefer animals to most people, so sue me lol
I too love the huskies, one blue eye, the other eye another color. My dog was also a rescue, but a purebred. She had dark eyes.
We are financially committed to not having another pet due to the high vet bills.
The care we both gave our dog was enough to last a lifetime, we will not forget that we just cannot do that again. I have had other dogs, it is a lifetime commitment, we could never give our pet away just because we couldn't care for it. But that is just me. I love dogs especially. My favourite pet!
One of my favorite things today is nice, cold, orange sherbet. If it weren't for the fact that we're under a heat advisory (100 to 105 degree heat index anticipated), I could be outside gardening, but not in 90+ heat.
Lime sherbet is a treat too. The ultimate though would be the local chain supermarket's Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream, chocolate chip ice cream, mint chocolate chip ice cream, black cherry ice cream...heck just about any ice cream. I don't discriminate - I love them all. And they really hit the spot on hot sweltering days.
Do you ever feel you've become the worst version of yourself?
That a Pandora's box of all the secret, hateful parts-your arrogance
your spite, your condescension-has sprung open? Someone upsets
you and instead of smiling and moving on, you zing them. "Hello, it's
Mr. Nasty." I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about.
Or in my case, Mrs. Irritable. I never wanted to be who I've become
Today.
As to worse self versions...I'd hate to think I could actually be any worse than I already am!
But it's also necessary to remember that there are a lot of irritations in life today, whether it's repeated telemarketers who ignore the Do Not Call List, or foreign scammers trying to get your financial information, either by phone or with phished and spoofed numbers and e-mails.
I've stopped most of the door to door salespeople with a large NO SOLICITATION sign on my front door. But the telephone has expanded from being a lifeline to being an instrument of harassment.
And the junk mail...I don't even want to start on that.
Now, thinking about all that, I'm going to refocus to think what I'd rather be than what I don't want to be.
And hope for a wonderfully refreshing rain.
There's a special thrill as well with the post rain rainbows that sometimes appear. It's as if I'm gazing into a magic environment, something from a fairy tale.
If you ever go, be prepared for a lot of exercise. It's almost a culture shock to see no vehicles but also a wonderful reprieve from the smell of auto exhaust.
Be sure to visit the fudge shops; Mackinac Island is famous for them, and the fudge is delicious - rich and creamy but also soft, not hard as some fudge is.
Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be.
And speaking of snowfall, even though I dread the cold dark winter, that first fall of snow drifting gently down like feathers is magical.