35 Things I Love

I've been thinking about the old adage..."You can catch a lot more flies with honey than you can with vinegar." I've been thinking about it because of the following story. So my uncle lives just up the hill from my parents. One of his grandchildren has a really really loud four-wheeler contraption that he runs around on. Up and down the road he goes, gunning the engine and waking the dead. No lie. Forget listening to the t.v. Forget any conversation you might be having. When that bad boy rolls by, it is LOUD. I cannot even explain how loud...it is ear splitting. Of course, this has caused some anger amongst the neighbors.

And how do you handle such a situation? Do you immediately call the cops because the vehicle is NOT street legal? Do you go up and give him a piece of your mind and risk his anger...and further cause him to annoy everyone with the bike just because he can? Do you try to talk sense into him and point out the ways in which it is wrong, unkind, selfish, etc.? I think...well, I HOPE, that the problem has been solved. Drama was involved.

But the thing is, we tend to jump to conclusions around here...worst case scenarios and all that. Have you ever noticed how drama, negativity, etc. tends to breed more of the same? I just think life is so much better when we see the good in others and try to bring that out in them. The optimist in me wants to believe that honey will get you much further than vinegar. The pessimist in me believes that there is no getting through to some people. I just want to see the world as an optimist. People are happier that way. It may not be my first and most natural response...being an optimist, that is. But I believe I can become one.

Quite frankly, all this negative energy is draining me. Bleeding me dry.

Now that is a long explanation that all boils down to a list, really. Today there was some serious negative energy up in here. I want it cleansed from my mind. And so here is my little plan for getting back to a more positive place. Just a simple list of things I love. I picked thirty-five...because well, I am thirty-five. Here we go, in no particular order.

1. I love going on walks.
2. I love the English country-side.
3. I love walks in the English country-side.
4. I love running into old friends.
5. I love going to a baseball game live...particularly at Orioles Stadium, Camden Yards.
6. I love the cherry blossoms in D.C.
7. I love accomplishing a goal.
8. I love the women in the ward I grew up in.
9. I love sitting out under the stars at night.
10. I love wandering around in an art gallery.
11. I love other people's stories of faith.
12. I love going somewhere new.
13. I love my parents.
14. I love a good book on a rainy day.
15. I love a good slice of pizza.
16. I love the smell of men's cologne.
17. I love a cute pair of heels.
18. I love BYU football on a cool fall night.
19. I love thunder and lightening storms.
20. I love a picnic in the canyon.
21. I love tinfoil dinners when picnicking in the canyon.
22. I love fall foliage.
23. I love New York City in a good snow storm.
24. I love Sephora.
25. I love Cafe Rio.
26. I love my siblings.
27. I love a pedicure.
28. I love my mom's cheesecake.
29. I love crisp, tart apples.
30. I love the feeling after a good, hard workout.
31. I love kissing.
32. I love making new friends.
33. I love Disneyland.
34. I love my nieces and nephews.
35. I love seeing all the good in the world and trying really hard to believe that there are more good things to come.