A long, unnumbered list of things I love
This week, I am inspired by a recent post by poet Andrea Gibson, where they shared a long list of things they love. The world is, indeed, feeling very heavy and uncertain. It is absolutely essential to remind yourself why you love it all, too.
"Allora" (read on for meaning), here's a long, unnumbered list of things I love.
Of course, I love my family: my husband, Josh, and my children, Isabella and Ellessia. I love my kitty cats, Luna and Schmendrick, my parents, my younger brother, and all of Josh's family. These big-ticket loves are obvious but still good to list.
I also love my home and my neighborhood. I love the waters near my house, and I try to touch them every week (daily is better). I love the mountain we live on, Mt. Ascutney (or Cascadenac, in the original Abenaki). I love the hiking trails behind my house. I love leaning on trees in the woods and watching the sky.
I love the sound of ice crunching under my feet-- you know, like a puddle with no water, just a layer of crusty ice. I love stepping on puffball mushrooms and watching the spore cloud disperse. I love finding wild edible mushrooms on trees and identifying different plants in the woods.
I love birds, especially raptors. I love finding hawks in the trees and in the sky, and I am adept at spotting them while driving. Songbirds are pretty amazing, too. I especially love seeing a red cardinal in March when there is very little other color outside. And I love the sound of the wood thrush.
I love spring and early summer. I love it when my herb garden starts to bloom, and I can go outside and pick my herbal cup of tea from the lawn. My favorite combination is lemon balm, mint, red clover, and lemon thyme.
I love black tea with a sprinkle of cardamom powder. I love making a blue-green smoothie in the morning (it's a Kale/spinach, banana, blueberry, spirulina, and chlorella combination). I also love eating spicy air-fried potatoes on Romaine lettuce with balsamic vinegar. I REALLY love Yalla Hummus with Zhoug on top.
Of course, I love listening to Kirtan music. But I also love listening to Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, and playlists from the 1980s and 1990s. I also love listening to solo cello and classical cello music. Something about the cello makes me want to cry, but in a good way.
I love listening to audiobooks, mainly mythical fantasy stories. I also love thriller movies with a big twist revealed at the end. I love scary movies or romance movies that involve time travel. My very favorite movie of all time is Arrival. It's about aliens that come to Earth to help save silly humans by giving us their language – a language that enables us to see all time, forward and backward (like time travel). A romance is involved, and the soundtrack is cello, so it's all love. It makes me cry every time I watch it.
I love reading yoga philosophy and studying and practicing Sanskrit mantras, poetry, and quotes. I also love well-thought-out words, and I often write down words that sound beautiful. I love learning Italian, and I especially love the often-repeated Italian word "Allora," which means "Well, now, or therefore" in an informal way. They say it ALL the time.
I love a beautiful empty notebook with no lines, handmade paper (that's obvious), and a stack of deckled edges. I do love writing, which is why I write a newsletter each week. I love buying books, perhaps a little too much...
I love the combination of purple and yellow. I also love the colors ultramarine blue and Naples yellow hue (those are the names of the types of paint). I love cooking food and baking sweets, and I love feeding people. I love Chinese cuisine, Indian cuisine, Thai cuisine, and Mediterranean cuisine. I love eating plants--all kinds, in all colors, shapes, and forms.
I love being a yoga teacher and helping people feel better being in their bodies. I love helping people find a spark of creativity, and I love it when people feel safe, happy, and free.
And I love all of you, friends, for caring about what I love.
What are you loving today?
