I’ve been moving files from one computer to the other and feel scattered, so I haven’t had much brain to blog with, but in the interest of showing up, here is a playful one. In the voice workshop, one task I love is writing a list of 25 things I love. It’s refreshing in the best possible way. Try it.
My list of ten on a thunderstormy Wednesday afternoon in mid May:
1. The look of the mountains right now, like a watercolor, ridge after ridge lined up against each other, the darkest in front, each ridge paler and paler until the tops of the tallest ones disappear into pillows of cloud.
2. Leo, my black and white cat, sitting on the windowsill looking out to those mountains.
3. The heady scent of freshly brewing coffee rising into the air.
4. The Sopranos, mainly because of Tony, but also because it has some of the most intricately layered characters anywhere. (And I am not caught up, so we cannot do spoilers here)
5. A pile of fresh new books waiting in a bag downstairs by my couch. A travel book about Italy, a young adult novel, some spiritual things.
6. CR’s astonishingly beautiful legs.
7. My mother’s stubborn chin and Delft-blue eyes.
8. Ian’s beautiful, long white hands. Graceful, elegant, perfectly shaped.
9. The Zefferelli film of Romeo and Juliet, for the beautiful costumes and luscious staging.
10. The anticipation of foreign travel, imagining how it will be, getting on a plane for a long, long flight, stocking up on special things to read about the new places (southern Italy just now) and the chance to learn new things, and the wonders to be uncovered. I am really quite delighted by the chance to see Pompeii, at last.
Now you.
1. about hands. I love my son, the J’s, hands. He’s a musician, clarinet is his main instrument. His hands are graceful, huge and long-fingered and slim. I think it’s the whole graceful and huge combo that really makes them so amazing.
2. My DH’s brain. I love it. He’s brillant and sexy and funny. Can’t beat that.
3. My peonies, back and front yards. White and pink. A scent like nothing else.
4. My cats, Tom and Ed.
5. The photo of me taken in the ladies restroom of the Ritz Carlton at a NINC conference. My friend, Susan, cut out a GODIVA label, tore in two: GO DIVA, and glued it on the photo.
6. Thunderstorms. Nature as entertainment, oh yeah!
7. Anita Shreve. I’m on an Anita Shreve kick lately.
8. Having done my exercises. Okay, not real into the doing, but I love the having done.
9. Seagrams VO Gold, which they never have in bars.
10. My mom. She is the sweetest woman on earth. When I lived in Hollywood, I used to take her to comedy clubs on open mike night. She would laugh at anything. The comedians would always end up giving her a round of applause for being the best audience member ever.
1. My son’s wicked sense of humor and the big belly laugh when he delivers an especially horrid joke and I groan.
2. My daughter’s fearlessness. She’s a natural-born performer, full of life and exuberance and has the most spectacular eyelashes nature ever put on a child.
3. My dog sitting so close to my chair I can’t push it back.
4. Alejandro Fernández’s CD Entre Tus Brazos. He has a voice that’s smoke and rich red wine and his songs just make me want to either dance around the room or curl up beneath a blanket in a darkened room.
5. Creme brulée.
6. Starbucks Green Tea Frappuccino
7. The pair of dark red strappy sandals I splurged on. No real need for them, they were just pretty.
8. Count me on the thunderstorm lovers–I do all my best writing during dark, rainy overcast days.
9. Driving on a long, unbroken stretch of road, music of choice blaring, sun coming through the sunroof.
10. The music palm trees make when there’s a steady breeze blowing through the fronds.
1. My cat. She’s old; there are accidents. I still can’t imagine life without her.
2. Storms — thunderstorm or blizzard, what could be more exhilarating?
3. The way my 2-yr old niece’s face lights up and how she says my name when she arrives for a visit.
4. Water. I’m a Pisces who feels most at home around water. Doesn’t matter if it’s ocean or lake, so long as I’m near one or the other — a good thing, too, considering my city has four good-sized lakes, a river and a few meandering streams as well.
5. Spring flowers. First came the daffodils, miraculously surriving a late-season snow. Then there were the magnolias and crabapples, whose blossoms faded all too soon. Now the lilacs are finally in bloom. Ahhh…
6. Autumn. The crisp, cool taste of the air, the crunch of leaves under foot, the vibrant colors, the very smell of it.
7. A pile of new suspense books waitning to be read.
8. Chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. Need I say more??
9. Cemeteries. Okay, some may think that morbid, but I love the history and sense of connectedness found in a cemetery. The oldest one here was laid out as a park with winding paths and plenty of shade trees under which locals once picnicked, and there is an awesome “living spirits” tour every autumn. I love letting my mind wander loose there, with pen or camera in hand.
10. Crafting for others. Whether counted cross-stitch or stamping cards, I love creating a special card or hand-made gift for the people around me.
Hi Barbara! has nothing to do with your post, but I read Twilight after I saw the cover on your blog–then immediately read the sequel and visited stepheniemeyer.com–thanks for the referral!!!
Elena, isn’t it wonderful? SO glad you found it and enjoyed it.
I love, love, love these ten favorites posts. Don’t you love the way you feel writing them?
More!