Love (My Life) Thursday

In honor of Love Thursday on this, the twelfth anniversary of my first real date with Coop, I'm creating my OWN meme.

Because, see, I just went to the nursery AND to an office supply store. (Dudes, going to those two kinds of places makes me realize that I can never, EVER do drugs. Because clearly, I have an addictive personality and I am powerless against certain temptations.) AND then, coming home, I heard the Indigo Girls on the radio and I was just so filled with gratitude for my life that I started making a little list of things that give me a rush of joy.

1. Jane's belly laugh. Actually, Jane's BELLY. I get this little rush of joy that she has that great six-pack. I can't explain it--maybe it's just an appreciation of perfection. Jane's stomach is completely perfect. (Well, okay, the rest of her isn't so bad either.)

2. Ana's spray of freckles across her nose. In the morning when I go into her room to wake her up, I always take an extra few seconds to gently stroke those freckles--I think if we connected them, they would make a most wondrous constellation.

3. Coop's kisses. Twelve years later and I still get a little goose when he kisses me.

4. The Adventure Song: Years ago, the girls and I dubbed the Indigo Girls' song "Get Out the Map" our Adventure Song. We've played it for every single trip that could have remotely been considered a possible adventure--from going to the grocery store to driving across the country.



I have heard this song, conservatively, about 64 million times and each time, when it gets to the line about, "I'm going to love you good and strong while our love is good and young," I smile. Every. Single. Time. Because my loves are good and young.

That's the song I heard today driving back from my errands.

5. That kind of gospel harmony that is so thick you can almost walk on it. Joy rush, right there.

6. Homegrown tomatoes from my father-in-law's garden in Alabama. I am on a never-ending search to find tomatoes that taste as good as his. Hasn't happened yet. Sometimes I go here and just look at them.

7. Edward's feet, Thomas's broken purr, Sydney (just Sydney) and Scout's smile.


8. Claudia hand-painted sock yarn. And hand-knit socks. (Guess that goes without saying.)

9. Planting... stuff. All stuff.

10. Empty white pages and a really good pen.

11. My camera.

12. Crisp days when the sun warms you and makes you drowsy.

13. Really good writers. Actually, there are some writers whose use of the language can bring me to tears. Barbara Kingsolver, Elizabeth Berg, Karen Joy Fowler, Kaye Gibbons.

14. The Ocean. Because it's um, the ocean. Look at this picture I took of Ana and her dad this past Saturday. Does it give you a combination of heartache and deep, deep happiness? I think that's a joy rush...


15. This blog's readers. Today, I got a fan letter from a reader and DUDES, I still haven't stopped smiling. (I've been beaming for about two and a half hours now.) JOY RUSH!

Okay, so I'm tagging everyone. EVERYONE. Come up with your own Joy Rush List and be sure and either send me a note to tell me you've posted it if you're a blogger or send me an e-mail with your list. I'll link to y'all (bloggers) or post the list if you don't have a blog and you agree to that. I'll send a copy of my book to the five I like the best--unless I've already sent you one, in which case, maybe I'll knit you some socks! Totally subjective contest, in an objective kind of way.

Love Thursday.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I SO want to do this. I so NEED to do this. I want you to be proud of me. I. JUST. DON'T. HAVE. TIME. And I know that's the point. We must make time. I know. Does it count if I do it in my head? Will you be able to read it there?

I sound like I'm cracking, don't I??????
Stefanie said…
I just wrote my list! This is the best list ever. Just thinking of what makes me happy has put me into a great mood. :) I'm glad that your life is so good today!!
Unknown said…
Just did my list, thanks I needed to think about that today!
Ei said…
I'm gonna...because I don't do so well reading about socks, but man...I KNOW I'd look faboo in them.
Mrs.Q said…
Barbara Kingsolver...tell me about it! I just finished re-reading Prodigal Summer for the millionth time....mmmmmm! That woman makes me want to can a winter's worth of fresh tomatoes - and since I'm about as domestic as a frozen TV dinner, that's saying something!

And I will do the list. If not today (because I'm packing for a 10-day trip home - JOY RUSH!) then while I'm home.
DK said…
Once, in college, my best friend and I drove down to St. Louis to get stuff out of her apartment and bring it back to Chicago, or something like that. Anyway, we drove down from Chicago in the morning, moved stuff, did some other stuff, ate a late lunch at Fitz's, and headed back. And we got caught in a whole lotta construction traffic on the way home, in like, the middle of nowhere in Southern Illinois. And somewhere in this mess we were listening to the Indigo Girls and decided we were going to learn Get Out the Map, in harmony (Katie and I met because we were in choir together in high school). She's an alto, I'm a soprano, so naturally I was Emily and she was Amy Ray. And after about an hour of listening to this song over and over and over and trying to learn the parts and whatnot, I finally realized that where I was singing "I can see around some corner there may be a resting place," she was singing, "Sitting in some corn I can see a resting place."

We giggled like morons for a good five miles.

I love that song.
LaDonna said…
I'm always doing things backward...really should have commented first before emailing you my list, but oh well! You totally inspired me! I really do have alot of things in my life that give me a Joy Rush!
Ei said…
Hey babe. Here you go.
http://eiseyes.blogspot.com/2008/05/ode-to-joy.html
Anonymous said…
What a good idea! I try to count my blessings, or at least the things I'm grateful for, before falling asleep every night but I've never committed the list to electrons before.
Tenna Draper said…
okay, I'll blog your meme...
SabrinaT said…
What a great idea. I am doing this one in the morning.
Miri said…
Thank you for a super meme. I love your list and I hope you like mine! -Miriam at Farm Suite
Unknown said…
1st time commenter...thanks for a lovely post. i did this, too, just before mother's day on my other blog.
Katie said…
Your list was so beautiful and so inspiring.

I am doing this! What a great way to jump start the weekend.

Come on over and visit me and take a peek at my joy rush list.
Kerry said…
What a great idea. I have posted my list on my blog. http://ourfamilyisgreat.blogspot.com/
TheOneTrueSue said…
People, you WANT her book. You NEED her book. (Seriously, it's a really good book.)

I'm going to do the meme very soon. Loved this post - vintage happy Barb.
Anonymous said…
...and because I just realized you can't see my blog info because it's not blogger (well, it could be, but that's an old blog) here's the real deal: www.knitswithcats.blog-city.com

Have a great weekend!
Mokihana said…
Working on mine... it's getting longer by the day!
Alexis said…
This was lots of fun, and very encouraging. I've been mulling over doing my list for several days and I finally got it posted! I think I shall read it every Sunday night, to get myself in the right frame of mind for the upcoming week!
Poppy B. said…
I'm over here because of Suburban Correspondent. I figure if she can come up with ten things, even though she has teenagers, I can, too. Because I only have one.
Dani said…
I know this is an old post but I just found it. I posted my list on my blog. icrafty.com