I try to approach life with a sense of curiosity and wonderment. I also like to have fun! My dad instilled a sense of curiosity, wonderment, and fun in me early in my life. During our family’s dinner time, Dad would ask Mom and me what we did that day, as well as what was our favorite thing that happened throughout our day. It was never acceptable to shrug, then answer, “Nothing happened,” or “I didn’t have any fun,” or something similarly negative. I learned, through my dad’s example, that there is usually at least one fun thing or favorite experience in everything I do, even when I am doing something mundane. I attend a lot of rock and roll concerts. Invariably, as soon as the concert ends, I will ask the people with whom I attended the show to tell me their favorite song among those performed by each band. I often receive a blank stare, followed by a boring reply, “I don’t know. All the songs were okay. Which one was your favorite?”, which I consider to be not only a cop out, but an indication that my concert comrades may as well saved their money and stayed home that night. I think it is fun to share favorite experiences. I have favorites in every facet of my life: friends, clients, bands (I STILL LOVE THE BEATLES!), songs, colors, cats, cars, food, perfume, movies, books, places, and any category of life that one can imagine. Regardless of how good, neutral, or bad a day I am having, I can name my favorite thing of the day. I am far from being a “Pollyanna,” however, it is important to me to have strong preferences for some things over others. When David insists I attend a boring meeting with him, for example, with someone who talks endlessly about absolutely nothing, I will remark, “Well, my favorite part of that meeting was seeing the lovely flower arrangement in the lobby of the building” or something similar. Having favorite things, as well as favorite people, has helped me considerably as I prioritize the events in my life. As with many things in my life, I owe it to Dad for taking the time to foster my strong sense of self awareness. What are your favorite things?
I’m not quite as big a favorite thing person as is Melissa; I sometimes have difficulty telling her my favorite song or similar detail from a concert. Even in RUSH shows where the songs, and visuals, compete with each other, it is difficult for me to pick a favorite. I have some favorites, like my Canon cameras, but in many things I am more likely to have a “top 2 to 5″ of something. Favorite food, I can name a few contenders. Favorite movies, I can think of a few. I used to say I had 5 favorite bands, but that number fluctuated and the list sure isn’t what it was when I was in high school – well, except for 2-3 bands who still are hanging in there. Differentiation is well and good, but locking myself into a single favorite is difficult. As a normally optimistic person, I usually try to see the positive in places, and things, such that I could list favorite parts of, say, each place I’ve lived. Or favorite restaurants, town by town, rather than of all times (though there are a couple high on that list). Perhaps this is because I never had to think about the favorite thing of the day that my mind just doesn’t quite operate that way. I try to see things for what they are, even if that leaves open a debate on how they compare. The other thing with favorites is that to have one, one has to track it over time. Is Ken’s Barbeque in Lake City, a favorite at one point in my life, as good as I remember it or has it been surpassed by Blue Willies in Ft. Lauderdale as my favorite? Hard to say. But, might be worth some taste testing!
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