Friday Listicle
1. Family. For me family is a favorite because I am able to see a part of me in them and them in me. This has caused me to reflect on so many different levels and is ever a learning experience.
2. Experiences that I have had that have brought me to this point in my life.
3. Knowledge I have that if all those people I hold dear and if all my possessions were to be destroyed, I would still be able to feel the love of God and be comforted by the Spirit.
4. Natural beauty of the world and the people in it. Nature in its pristine state is beautiful, but there is also something aesthetically pleasing about the changes caused upon the plants and formations due to natural forces of nature. So it is with people. The smooth skin of young children is in stark contrast to the wrinkles of the aged, but there is a beauty in those lines so deeply impressed that touches the heart of the observer.
5. Life stories. Listening to the stories of the lives of others and learning what they feel they have learned from their experiences can be a blessing to those who take their stories to heart.
6. Inspirational quotations. There is a plethora of memes, often humorous, but the ones that catch my attention are the ones that cause me to ponder and if I choose, to change my behaviors and become a better person. Sometimes the inspirational quotations are poetic. These draw me in, maybe because from my years as a young child, my heart and mind have been receptive to this style of writing.
7. Hugs. What more can one say? A sincere heartfelt hug feeds the soul.
8. Thoughtful people. In a world that can often seem unrelentingly cruel because of the lack of compassion spoken or shown by some, there are so many who choose to be good, to do good, and look for ways to serve others, whether they know them or not. These thoughtful people come in all sizes, ages, colors, and nationalities and often unite with those seemingly quite different from themselves to unitedly make a difference in small ways or enormous ways. Often thoughtfulness can be done in magnanimous ways. (The origin of the word magnanimous is from the Latin magnanimus magnus "great" and animous "soul.")
9. The color blue. The color blue and especially blue/green hues are especially calming to me.
10. Beautiful music. There are many kinds of music that I enjoy with as many reasons for why I do. I do know that music vibrates within me, but not necessarily in a loud or harsh way, but often in a very tender way, giving me reason to hope or courage to do, or reason to feel joy.
I love your post. It’s as if you dropped everything and stepped out into the world to listen, see and appreciate all its beauty and it’s good. It’s hard to grasp these days even down to appreciating a simple quote. And I love blues too. Thanks for joining FTSF for the prompt.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kenya.
DeleteI really like this new way of doing the FTSF, with mixing it up a bit each week.
I love so many of the same things! I'm especially noticing your love of "life stories." Me too!!! My new favorite way to experience them is via live storytelling. If there is a way to see these life "true stories" events in your area, I highly recommend it. If not, you might enjoy podcasts like The Moth or This American Life, among others. Aren't humans just amazing?!
ReplyDeleteI faithfully listen to both of these podcasts! There is so much to be learned from others.
DeleteSuch a gorgeous list, Pat. I especially love the appreciation for life stories, and a baby's smooth skin (and the contrast to the wrinkles I now have that will deepen further depending on my smiles or frowns). Also music and quotes. I've only recently realized the power of the music I listen to with my son's appreciation for music. It's amazing what he's picked up based on me saying "ok now here's the keyboard coming in... and now the double-bass..." I don't know whether you have an appreciation for some 70's and 80's popular music but he now can recognize so many bands I grew up with and it makes me re-realize how much music is a part of our identities, if you will. So glad you linked up! Glad to have you back and agree that Kenya's ideas give this a new life.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Each generation seems to like at least some of the music that their parents liked, as well as some of the music their grandparents liked depending on how often that was sung or played in the home. My own kids liked a lot of music from the musicals during the 70's and 80's and so did I. I also liked a lot of the folk songs sung in the early 70's.
Deleteexcellent listifying! pretty much keeps first things first, non?
ReplyDeleteYou've summed me up pretty well! First things first. :-)
DeleteThanks for visiting. I'm hoping to link up more often.
ReplyDeleteIt is always fun to find someone who has some of the same favorites.