Raindrops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens...

Some of MY favorite things! Months ago, I started a list of those thingsin life that never get "old"...simple plesasures. ..things you can experience over and over, and each time they are just as deliciously enticing and pure as the first time...Won't you help me add to the list?

• You are never too old to ride a shopping cart through the parking lot. Get a little momentum and hop on! It's exilirating, especially on a warm summer night. And you can't help but giggle and smile.
  
• The first rain of the season...the smell is so earthy, you can almost taste it.
  
• I love a deep belly laugh that makes you cry or almost wet your pants! The feeling and adrenaline remains long after the laugther is gone.
  
• Being barefoot in grass. When I see an especially tempting, lush plot of grass here in Arizona, I immediately toss my shoes and wiggle my feet deep into the softness.
• The feeling and anticipation of exiting your car at a final vacation destination. This is usually accompanied by a slow stretch of my body - feels so good after riding in a cramped car.
  
• Baking chocolate chip cookies. Tonight, I baked them while on speakerphone with my Mom. I added a sprinkle of oatmeal and a dash of love.
• Kissing babies. Especially their toes and noses. Kaia leans in and gives fantastic open mouth kisses.
  
• Throwing a frisbee with my dog. Watching him dash off for the soaring disc of fun and catch it in midair makes me giddy.
• Star gazing. My Dad and I used to star gaze on our backs in the grass of our front yard. We would talk about the galaxy, time travel, black holes, how stars are born and how they die. We would ponder our existance and the existance of beings beyond our imaginations. Star gazing makes you feel small and insignificant and stretches the limits of our minds.
• Treatsure and scavenger hunts. When we were young, my folks used to coordinate scavenger hunts on our 10 acres of wooded land in Missouri. The excitement overflowed as we scampered through the trees and ravines, glancing down at our homemade maps, to find the treasures.
• Nothing beats finding a new haunt. Nothing REALLY beats finding a new haunt with your best friendfeel quite special and very smart for having found such a fabulous place.
  
• Spontaneous road adventures. Sometimes they don't start off so well, like if you've gotten lost on your way to somewhere else. Most times, they end well with great memories.
• Ohhh, the smell of a new book. Fresh, clean, important, ready to be cracked open. I've often thought of it as the smell of the words "baking", rising off the pages. I remember what my textbooks even smelled like in grade school. For a few days, the smell made you excited to be in school.
  
• Doesn't it feel great when you get something right? Solving a Math problem, finally "mastering" a hobby, or even that moment when you make a "connection". For me, it's quite simple. I recently felt this way when I cooked a casserole that I'd had many times at a friend's house. When it came out of the oven, I could tell it was "right". I felt validated.
  
• Remembering dreams is a sort of mini-pastime of mine. Sometimes, I remember them off the bat. Sometimes, I don't recall them until I see a person I dreamed of in real life. I often only connect the storylines of my dream as I'm actually telling them to someone. I marvel at how the brain works and think my dreams help me to connect to our realm in a way I'm not able to when awake.
  
• The anticipation of waiting for a loved one at the airport. This is always a bittersweet moment. Jason and I mastered this while we dated long distance for a year. I still remember the first time I met him at the airport in Albequerque (long story!). I was wearing a long, flowing skirt and boots and was oh so young. He careened towards me in a sweet, vulnerable way that was full of gratitude. Our smiles were our words for many long minutes.
  
• Jello. Squishy, wiggly, colorful, slippery, sweet. Goes down "like butta". 'Nuff said.
  
• There is something incredibly indulgent about waking up to a gorgeous day with absolutely nothing planned.
  
• Of course, napping during a rainstorm is high on the list. This combines a few of the "best of the best": napping, listening to a rainstorm, the smell of rain, being warm and cozy, taking time to yourself. And if napping with someone else, particularly a baby, it is simply divine.
• Dejavu. Is that how you spell is? Not only is it fun to say, I get chills every time I experience it. Dejavu is another pheomenon that makes you think...
• Hiccups. Seriously, I love them. I really think our world is divided into two groups: Those who love hiccups and those who can't stand them. They make me laugh, they make me wonder, and I love that the noise is uncontrollable. Close your mouth, you still make a noise.
  
• Flying into a big city at night. Seeing all the lights reminds me of a Christmas tree. From up there, the city looks happy.
  
• If you know me, then you know I LOVE to spy. I spy on arguing couples at restaurants, spy on people at the airport, and spy on parents at the mall. When Jason catches me he always says "I know you're spying..." Spying does not get old.
  
• Peering through lighted windows as you drive at night. I love seeing families watching TV, cats in the window, Mom's cooking dinner...it's pure Americana, Norman-Rockwell style.
  
<>It seems this is easier to do in the Midwest, where bay-windows abound and where many homes leave their front doors open so that you can see into the storm doors.