Week 32: Favorite Things

Week 32: Favorite Things is long overdue... I don't know why it's taken 32 weeks to go Maria ala Sound of Music on all of you... There are just soo many things that I favorite that I have a hard time not running on and on, I guess. And somehow, I guess, I've been afraid of doing that to you. Don't know why... If you were going to stop reading it probably would've been awhile ago anyway.

And so...(which is one of my favorite sayings from Fiji that can be used as a statement or as a question), and so: Week 32 was taken in the morning sitting at one of my favorite tables in the whole of the world with 3 of my favorite people: my dad, mom and sister. This is a shot of my dad's steaming coffee cup. He loves his coffee steaming, steaming hot and black; no sense in adulterating a perfectly good and sensible cup of coffee. Which pretty much speaks for my dad's character and personality, too.

Continuing on with favorites: the sunrise breaking over the Sandia mountains...and then the sun drawing its fingers across the same range as it sinks over Mount Taylor at the end of the day. The pinks that give the Sandias (Spanish for watermelons) their name... the purples and blues and golds and yellows... the shadows and brush and cacti and trees and rocks... So basically, the Sandias and light... all manner of light... with a special fondness for afternoon light...

The night sky... moonrises... shooting stars... planets and stars... little crescent moons... the feeling of smallness I always get when I gaze upward... the idea of brushing my hand up to feel that velvety sky and knowing it is so very far away even though the inky black is surrounding me...

Air...yes, air... the air that thins as you go up in altitude and bites crisp red into my cheeks and nose... the air that whooshes through my car on roadtrips when the window is down and my hand dangles out the window... the air that fights with my car's heater in winter when I drive through Tijeras canyon with the windows down... the air in the tropics that holds my skin close and wraps around me in ribbons of warmth with the smell of earth and sea and sky braided together...

People... people's laughs... smiles that reach their eyes... lines in their faces... sheepishness... conspiratorial grins... hugs... secret confessions... the irony of life... shared history... new discoveries... stories retold... toothless smiles from babies... skipping with someone... idiosyncrasies... real, non-junk mail from someone I love...

Books... the smell of them... the feel of a page beneath my fingers... a book so good you want to throw it across the room... a book so good you fight instant depression when it ends... looking forward to a long plane ride with a book I've been anticipating...

Words... aptly spoken... beautifully written... lost in a comfortable silence... stated with conviction... followed by action... that inspire... that every heart longs for... that encourage... that support... quips... witticisms... definitions... names... nicknames... aliases... poetic... prose... fiction... true accounts... recorded histories... tombstones... obituaries...

Coffee... rows of green coffee bushes lining the Kaumuali'i Highway... a shining, brown bean in my palm... the smell of it brewing... the sound of it percolating... a great, full-bodied flavor rolling over my tongue... drinking a cup with a friend... the feel of my cold fingers wrapping around a warm mug of it... the things it brings out in an unhurried conversation...

Water... fresh, clear, drinking water... rain... streams... rivers... oceans... running through sprinklers... snorkeling... kayaking... rafting...

Art... in museums... on the walls of my home... done by my friends... the smell of paint... the feel of drawing paper... a new journal... a fresh pencil... a good pen...

Music... live... watching someone play and sing with their heart and soul... discovering a new artist... running like a soundtrack in the background... completely surrounding me... moving me to dance... lyrically compelling... that makes me cry ...that I can associate with a specific time in life or with a specific person...

Signs of the seasons... purple lilacs... pink hyacinths... flowers unfurling... warbling birds... trees in bloom... green grapes... red cherries... climbing trees... long days... orange pumpkins... crimson trees... crunchy leaves... flickering flames... long shadows... grey skies... white snowfall... barren branches... frosty mornings...

The intangible... unguarded honesty... true, deep love... total curiosity... abiding convictions... free laughter... unworried, carefree trust... absolute dedication... genuine interest...

Favorites... I feel like I've just gotten started, and I'm sure it's true... So this week I'd like to invite you to comment on your favorites... add to mine... Let's see how long Week 32's entry ends up...