Remember Mary Poppins singing These are a Few of “My Favorite Things.” Her favorite things included things like raindrops on roses, bright copper kettles, snowflakes on noses, sleigh bells, and warm woolen mittens. Most of these things are sensory. They make a person happy and bring a smile to your face. They are nice things, but a little different from my list of favorite things.
We could make so many lists of things. How about things we cannot live without? My list of the actual things I can’t live without would include clean water, air to breathe, food, clothing, a safe place to live, etc. But those items are pretty much the same for everyone. That is except for people that are living in poverty and do not have access to shoes or clean water or enough food to eat. In a comparison of my life to someone living in poverty, pretty much everything I say I can’t live without is not even on their list of minimum things they would like to have. I am very aware of this and in no way is this meant to make light of them or their situation.
Unlike Mary Poppin’s list of favorite things, my list may not matter to you, but they do to me. Actually, if I had to live without most of these items, I could. But, to maintain happiness, I would have a hard time living without them. I admit they aren’t in order of importance. The ninth item is actually the most important to me. And I will admit it would be extremely hard to live without that one.
Nine Favorite Things that Make me Happy
Some of these items are frivolous and obviously will not really negatively impact my life should I have no access to them. But having them makes me happy. They aren’t extreme or expensive. They are some of the things that put a smile on my face and make my life a bit easier.
Books in general. I love to read. I don’t understand how some people have no interest in reading. The fact is I have too many books, but if I live until I’m 85, I don’t have enough. It’s a matter of perspective. Most of the books I read and then sell them or bring them to a free library. I do keep a few books, including books by Frank Peretti.
Stationery items. I love having post-it-notes, smooth writing pens, pencils with an eraser on one end, and a large supply of 07mm pencil lead. And paper – lots of paper for notes, for writing, and sometimes just to have. If I have a choice of where to go shopping, an office supply store is high on my list. As long as I have extra money to spend frivolously.
My grandchildren. They aren’t things and I don’t possess them, but they are very precious to me. Who would have ever thought I could love children so much, who aren’t my own? I realize that they are a part of me, DNA wise, but I do not have them with me on a daily basis. When I go on a vacation, I think about how much fun they would have playing on that playground, how much they would like to see the sights we visit. I have a hard time trying not to buy gifts for them.
Cozy Slippers. I love wearing slippers. I can’t imagine not having several pairs. They are cozy and comfortable, especially for my feet that suffer from arthritis and other foot issues. As fall gets closer, I start wearing the extra snuggly ones.
Chocolate. Dark chocolate is my favorite, but I can eat milk chocolate. I can eat chocolate as candy, cookies, cake, brownies, chocolate cream pie, shakes, etc. This is probably the main reason I don’t lose much weight when I try because I have very little will power when it comes to chocolate.
Fabric. I enjoy quilting. I like to have a stash of fabric. Non-quilters probably don’t understand that kind of obsession. After office supply stores, fabric stores are next in line. I get excited when I find super sales, like a fundraiser that was selling fabric at $2 a yard. Or quilters that have garage sales to clean out their stash. Or the end of the year clearance sales at my favorite fabric stores.
Photos. I have 21 photo albums full of pictures. There are hundreds of pictures on my phone. I have pictures hanging on the walls in my home. Plus I have a shoebox full of them that still need to go into albums. I love looking at and remembering trips, occasions, and people of my past and present. And I love sharing them.
Quilts. I love snuggling up in a particular quilt that I made. It’s flannel and it’s so soft. I have made many quilts as gifts, but I do keep a few for myself. We use a former bedspread I quilted, to sit on the grass to have a picnic. The more a quilt is washed the softer it becomes, especially the flannel ones.
My Bible. I’m really not one to write all over my Bible and draw pictures. If I was only allowed one possession it would have to be my Bible. I don’t necessarily want to read it, I need to read it regularly. My Bible has a lot of post-it-notes on the pages that have Bible verses with special meaning/importance to me.
Frivolous items? Maybe. Except of course my Bible. If I had to pick clean water or my Bible, I guess I would be drinking dirty water. I need my Bible every day. I need it every day of my life.
Try making a list of your favorite things. What item(s) do you find it difficult to live without? Do you have that one thing that remains the most important to you? Please share in the comments below. If you are a minimalist, what items have you kept that you feel you cannot part with?
