That's the way this wheel keeps working out.
On this lovely day, February 19, 2011, I was driving home from Barnes & Noble thinking of all the things that make my life so good, right now. There are many, including the amazing people I have surrounding me. But this list does not include people--they are the biggest given. I am not a big-crowd, many-friend person, but the people I do love mean a great deal to me. And these are all of the other things that came to mind as I sat in my car, and then attempted to recall later on in my apartment. And a few things I don't love.
Putting them down at this moment, so that when life turns again, I can see what was meaningful at this point.
Things I love:
- the 850 square feet in this world that are my own
- dancing in my living room because no one is around to make fun of me (except my cat)
- citron yellow (even though I cannot wear that color)
- more recently, anything in murky, even ballet-pink. Mauve, if you will.
- the itty bitty iPod nano I reluctantly bought to replace the one I lost at the gym. It has a clip. It's touch screen. It has only music I actually want to hear right now.
- the idea of cooking
- sometimes, cooking
- patchwork things. but not all patchwork things.
- Denyse Schmidt's inspired, modern but not too modern quilt designs
- tiny, vintage prints (on fabrics)
- school. Really, truly honestly, I love it so much. I will love and hate when it ends.
- reading books. avoiding reading books. buying books. writing in the margins of my books. underlining passages in my books. thinking that someday I will have a giant bookshelf. having lots of smaller bookshelves now.
- the colors on my walls
- organized spaces. clean spaces.
- my long, white $15 couch
- my car
- starting a book
- finishing a book. (have I already said books?)
- being able to pay my bills, even if it means I can't pay for much else. Truly a blessing.
- the thrill and fear of giving a talk at a history conference (next weekend)
- the lyrics to John Mayer's song Wheel
- Dunkin' Donuts coffee. The Best.
- my black plastic glasses.
- that my parents are downsizing, and heading abroad to mission work once they are empty nesters. Definitely better, for them, than sitting around waiting for holidays when your kids come home.
- podcasts
- Patrick Cox and all of the talented people who work with him on PRI's The World broadcast
- Pimento cheese
- Sweetpockets cupcakes
- walking on Georgia State's campus, observing the many types of people who walk with me (and sometimes, getting fashion inspiration)
- spring, encouraging warm weather
- Twitter. I really love Twitter, and all of its wonderful, unfettered potential.
- daydreaming of the projects I want to accomplish in my life. Some sooner, some later. Like the thing I want to sew tonight, and the book I want to write later. Et al.
- the Public grocery store by my house. It has amazing urban-audience items, and very nice, late hours. They know the people they serve around these parts. Plus, Publix has the best employees, really.
Things I am not so crazy about:
- the thrill and fear of giving a talk at a history conference
- car maintenance
- the fact that I need a car to get to all the places in my life
- ugly, generic dining room light fixtures (which is why I changed mine)
- the prospect that many of the funds for programs I care about (and that my career may depend on) are facing big cuts. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Arts.
- not being able to wear sunglasses on days when I am wearing my black, plastic glasses
- not having enough time to consistently exercise
- pre-washing my fabric. I don't like lots of steps in between me and my projects. This is made worse by not having a washer and dryer. However, I am a firm believer in pre-washing. So I always do it.
- the fact that I have never been to New York City. I really feel there's a part of me that belongs there.
"You can build a house of leaves, and live like it's an evergreen /
It's just a season thing / it's just this thing the seasons do /
And that's the way this wheel keeps working out /
... Can't love too much one part of it"
John Mayer