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Sarah

Music

I'm a Skirt-lover. Skirt makes me laugh, inspires me, and makes me feel okay about being both feminine and strong-willed. I have worked in the music and publishing industry for the past thirteen years. At the present moment, I manage a creative group who create music programs for stores all...

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Ten Things that are Good in My Life

Sarah

I’ve been swimming in a sea of negativity lately, I admit it.  So many things are going against the grain of my American dream right now I could explode.  Even though I know from experience that setbacks are just that – setbacks.  And things shift and twist and turn and get back on course with a little imagination and some hard work, and if you’re really fortunate a dose of good luck.  My guess is that I’m not the only one feeling the heat of our looming recession.  Will it come? Won’t it? Is it already here?

In my 20s I came upon this way to refocus myself whenever I found myself buried in self-pity, fear, or well-earned sadness.   It was simply this:  write a list of ten things that are good in my life.  The trick was to find the most basic, simple things, something like prime numbers, where it would be hard to break it down into parts because it was so basic.  Some things on my list then were and still are:

(1) I have friends – This was too general, I broke it down into two names of the people who supported me most and understood me best.

(2) I own a house  --  This was scratched off my list since it involved having a job of a certain salary and implied happiness through material possessions.

(3) I have chocolate – Somehow this one managed to stay on the list.  After all, it does come from nature and this particular collection of Belgian chocolates,  bitter chocolate, overly sweet chocolates, chocolate with coffee, Brazil nuts, cherries  -- it had come from friends of specific names I could list.

(4) I have lotions to keep my skin soft and smooth – I bought these lotions, yes, but they were cheap and they were big bottles that would last a long time, so I left them on the list.  I can’t explain the immense joy of smoothing on these silky, soft-scented potions but it made me happy.  Besides, if I needed to, I could grow an aloe plant that would serve the purpose.

(5) The smell of fresh cut grass – This stayed on the list. Somebody somewhere was always mowing grass.

(6) Snow – I love snow.  I love to get frozen through at least once a year.  I love to make snow angels and catch snowflakes with my tongue.  Snow is beautiful.

(7) I have paper and pen – A few pennies can get you the essentials here, or if you’re truly ambitious you can make your own.  I have always expressed myself best with the written word, even if that was barely at all, just a few words or doodles, it was something that did and still does, comfort me.

(8) Cool wind on my face – I refer specifically to the crispy breezes of fall in Minnesota.  The smell of it too.  Magnificient.

(9) Fall leaves – A double treat.  First, the beauty of the colors on the branch:  I nearly lost my breath when I first saw what must have been a million trees scattered across the Smoky mountains.    Second, the crunch crunch crunch underfeet after they fall to the earth.

(10) Peppermint –  I use it to sooth a stomach ache, to cool my feet, to freshen my breath. Okay, okay, I don’t have a peppermint patch;  I buy the essential oil, the teas, the lotions, the candy canes and York peppermint patties (which I freeze, for added chilly delight).

Technically, I think that’s more than ten since a number of list items can be broken down into additional simplicities.  I celebrate this list.  Even though the list is flawed based on my own set criteria, these simple wonders still trigger happy memories of moments in time, conversations with friends, a happy childhood Christmas -- which for me was getting a slinky.  And I still have a slinky.  Add that to the list: I have a slinky.    But now, the slinky is not a toy, it’s a symbol of a simple, happy snapshot in time.

What are ten things that are good in your life?