Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a difficult time falling asleep at night. I am not sure exactly when or why, but to avoid the recurring nightmares and to crash more quickly I began to think of my 5 favorite things to help drift off to bliss. At first, it was my dolls and balloons and kittens. OK – I still love kittens – did I mention I will forever be a crazy cat-lady? As I became a teen it was things like makeup and boys and shoes. As an adult I have tried other methods like yoga and meditation and breathing exercises to relax. I even have an owl feather under my pillow (I found that idea in Native American folklore). I always end up returning to my 5 favorite things because it works for me.
I have gone through a rough patch of nights in the past few weeks and have found myself revisiting it yet again.
~here is part of my running list that was started more than 30 years ago~
My Favorite Things…
Books, crochet, Thanksgiving, candles, jewelry, dancing, frogs, cats, trees, sunsets, football, key chains, mysteries, sweaters, lava lamps, quilts, plants, surprises, traveling, photography, toys, tractors, gems, Tweety, pottery, ladybugs, windchimes, art, music, walking, rainbows, being barefoot, laughter, flowers, pillows, hummingbirds, computers, piano, teddy bears, soap bubbles, prisms, writing, hugs, horseback riding, dragonflies, snowflakes, polar bears, white t-shirts, denim & diamonds, nursery rhymes, cotton, ballet, purple, purses, tie-dye, Dr. Pepper, hot popcorn, wild horses, flags, giggles, seashells, coasters, glass, autumn, Huskers, violets, pansies, hot chocolate, hay-rack rides, bonfires, baskets, silver dollars, dolphins, volleyball, chicken & dumplings, broadway musicals, being in love, hearts, hydrangeas, poems, sweats, hardwood floors, long hair, curling ribbon, warm thick towels straight out of the dryer, back rubs, crystal, moonlight, stained-glass windows, polished rocks, brownies, watching waves hit the beach at sunrise, clean sheets,
Each one can be filled with memories or bring me inspiration for things to come.
It’s the the simple things in life that bring me peace of mind sometimes…
and I find this diversion mundane enough that I eventually drift off.
My current 5 favorite things are:: writing, iPod, crochet, photography, and my sleeping-beauty mask.
Not that if I were stranded on a desert island I would survive with those things. But on the other hand, if I really got into the whole minimalism thing; those 5 are my vices of choice that would absolutely have to remain.
Speaking of minimalism, I have been reading a bunch of blogs about it and it seems to me that I would be happy to downsize my life a little. I don’t think extreme-minimalism is for me, but it would be quite liberating to purge more consumerism from my home and my life.
With that in mind, I spent this weekend purging my kitchen, cleaning the pantry and taking a truckload of stuff to the second-hand store.
I also spent a bunch of time gardening and canning.
Now that most of the garden in tilled under, I can concentrate on some of my favorite things again.
So the thought for the day is to follow your bliss
and make today ridiculously amazing 🙂
yarnchick 