I'm doing 42 things
91.) Plants. I know I already said grass, but that’s totally different. I was looking at Zeddie after we’d had tarragon chicken for dinner… and I thought about how much I really appreciate and love plants. They LOOK cool (Zeddie is a prime example, but so are tulips, banana trees, and douglas firs). They have so many different textures: pricky, smooth, silky, spiny, hairy, spiny, lots of S adjectives… And the smell? Holy crap. Tarragon fills the air with a sweet almost licorice-y flavor and even though I don’t LIKE licorice, I know it’s gonna be a damn good meal. Basil and oregano? The same. What about rosemary or cilantro? Or roses, gardenias, and honeysuckle? The smells… heavenly. I love people who are green-thumb-ish enough to use plants in decorating and being surrounded by flowers, veggies, and herbs is definitely a reason to get happy.
92.) Gifts. I admit, I adore getting them, shopping for them, giving them, and occasionally wrapping them. The idea of giving someone something and knowing they’ll appreciate it is totally amazing. When lightning strikes and the PERFECT gift idea arrives? I get totally giddy. I love gifts!
93.) Games (scrabble with a worthy opponent, sodoku, Blokus, Connect Four, Battleship, Trouble, aka Aggravation, Michigan Rummy… ) Game nights with people and playing games with family… lots of laughs, conversation, jeers, cheers, and relaxation. Even logic puzzles, stories with holes… I love
games!
94.) Watching play. While I definitely dig watching performances, what I’m actually talking about is watching animals play together – be it the two legged or four legged variety. I love watching kittens wrestle, puppies race around, and kids play tag or “house.” Seeing children slowly develop an imaginary landscape is amazing to see. Suddenly the playground is an open ocean with various structures being somehow unanimously decided as islands, ships, reefs, and sharks… While playing is tons of fun, just watching it makes me lean back and a smile slowly and completely spreads through me. Love play!
95.) Catching a glimpse of someone and thinking “Wow, she’s pretty” then realizing… THAT’S ME! It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally I’ll see something out of the corner of my eye and take a second glance and say “Wow, that outfit really flatters her” or “Dang, her makeup looks good.” And then… it’s ME! I know that sounds horribly obnoxious, but I rarely seem to truly “get it right” when it comes to makeup and fashion, so … yanno. sheepish shrug Really, seeing anyone who looks good makes me happy. I love seeing how people dress, hold themselves, and carry on in their lives. Definitely a people watcher, am I.
96.)Speaking of… people watching and story hunting in stores like Viva Home, FoodOne, Target, cafes, bookstores, and of course, SafeWay at midnight.. You never, ever know what sort of unexpected things/beings you’ll find in places like these. There’s a giddy grin, a story idea, or a snapshot around every corner if you know what to look for.
97.) Which reminds me of how much I adore going for long walks with my camera. Or going ANYWHERE with my camera. A park, a walk to the doctor’s office, even randomly stopping by HomeDepot has awesome potential… you never know what you might find and it’s so relaxing to just wander around, seeing little changes here and there. I know a certain Rock Action Hero who does this with his iPod on shuffle…. Wonder what’s on his memory stick today? ;o)
98.) Visiting somewhere new. I get nervous, excited, a little scared, a little ecstatic… it’s overwhelming and exhausting, but so much fun and the memories last.
99.) Color. I love seeing what people can do with it in art, fashion, home décor, landscaping… I love being surrounded by color. I also love being in a monotone environment and seeing random splashes of huge color – like a room with various shades of brown splashed with bright blues and greens, or a white room with blazes of red and black. I love an unexpected blast of color from a hat or scarf or… even better… funky shoes! I also love color in my food – blueberries pop against creamy white yogurt, little bits of lemon zest dusting over roasted asparagus, the perfect blend of pinks and browns in a medium rare steak. Nom.
And… finally… something utterly random… (oh! Randomness! It also makes me happy!)
100.) Sitting at a stoplight and getting lost in the flashers blinking in the turn lane. Have you ever watched them slowly synchronize and then fall back out of step and then… back in again? Maybe someday automakers will have all the cars blinkers work at the same rate. Until then, I can blissfully sit at a stoplight and get utterly lost in blink, blink, blinkblink, blink, blink blink, blink….
