I Simply Remember My Favorite Things

The older I get, the more irritable I seem to be. Not that I was all that chill as a young woman, but these days a single individual's lack of consideration for others can make me near-furious. I have no patience for selfishness, entitlement, hate, or political opinion with no basis in fact.

As an adult I can, and often do, calm myself with things I enjoy. A glass of wine and some decent music can spin my attitude 180 degrees, back to appreciating the many blessings I have, most unearned. It's handy to have been born white in the United States to middle-class parents, for instance, and to have found a man of similar background who is utterly loveable. Mostly, anyway.

So today I'm going to list a few things that please me. Not because any reader is going to think, Golly-gee, what insight that Maryn has! I hope only that any reader will pause to reflect on their own small good things, to notice and enjoy them.

•    There are more books I'm eager to read and TV shows and movies I really want to see than I will finish within my lifetime.
•    Yes, road construction is so irritating. Streets closed without warning. Flag people who don't make clear what they want drivers to do. Detours poorly marked. Crews with one man working and seven standing around littering. But the roads I use most will soon be preternaturally smooth and clearly marked. I can tell when I cross the border into my town and its good roads.
•    On a recent trip, I used every single piece of clothing I packed except for the “one spares”: shirt, undies, and socks.
•    My weight doesn't get any worse if I have pizza or ice cream once in a while. 
•    I know how to do some things that bring me, and occasionally others, pleasure, from writing to sewing to cooking.
•    I like a lot of foods that are really healthy choices. Bring on the big salad, the brussels sprouts, asparagus, green beans, and most of all, the broccoli!
•    When there's something I really want, I don't have to save up for long to get it. Too bad I had to figure out this late in life how to want only things within my actual range of affordability.
•    Neither of our grown kids keeps me up nights with worry. Not that we're immune to trouble or tragedy, of course. But there are so many people who know, when the phone rings late at night, that a particular kid is using drugs, waits for them in the ER, is in jail again and hopes for bail, has been beaten by the husband she won't leave, suffers yet another mental health crisis, etc.
•    I'm as happy with a find at Goodwill as a bargain from Macy's—at a tenth the cost. I really am!
•    My marriage is solid, even though I suspect I am not always a joy to be around. (Shocking, no?)
•    I like my long hair shot with white strands. Hell, no, I'm not coloring it.

So think a moment. What's pleased you lately?