And Then I Don't Feel So Bad

As has become a quarantine staple, my family and I were playing Murder Trivia Party on Zoom this week, or “Murder Room” as we fondly call it. It has a low-key hotel theme and starts every game with “This is your wake up call, prepare to die”, so, obviously I’m a fan. 

Anyway, one of the questions in this week’s installments asked to pick out which of the multiple choices were not part of the song “My Favorite Things” from Sound of Music. Well, naturally, this got me humming the song, and it’s been stuck in my head. 

In The Sound of Music, Maria sings this song with the Von Trapp children when there’s a storm outside and their afraid. If you don’t know it, or remember it, the song includes such items as whiskers on kittens, brown paper packages tied up in string, girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, and wild geese flying with the moon on their wings. I remember singing this as a kid without really knowing what the words meant, more or less just repeating them. 

But, with no quarantine end in sight for me, it certainly still feels like a storm is brewing outside, so I thought I’d sit down to list of few of my actual favorite things, for days when it's particularly rough. 

• Purple Anything
• Hot Chocolate
• Autumn Leaves
• Sunsets
• Fresh Flowers
• Picking Fruit - like apples or blueberries
• Disney magic
• Lanterns and fairy lights
• A good theme
• Starbucks
• Make Up
• A bold lip color
• Flowy Dresses
• Calligraphy
• Tapping Sounds
• Inaudible Whispers
• A favorite book that feels like an old friend
• Peonies
• Prickly Pears
• Middle Eastern Cuisine
• Fun food presentations when dining at home
• Live theater
• Hiking
• Well-organized excel sheets
• Coffee house music
• Songs that make you think and feel at the same time
• Reminiscing
• Two-sided conversations where both parties listen and no one argues
• Photography / Photo Editing
• Creative Outlets
• Geeky Fandoms like Harry Potter and Star Wars
• Starry Nights spent with either good conversation or reflective silence
• Christmas Traditions and Decorations
• Non-preachy talks about God, the universe and fate
• Coffee Cozies
• Fireworks
• Walking around theme parks just talking
• People watching at airports
• Sports Stadium Atmospheres