More favorite things
hen the dog bites when the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad I simply remember my favorite things And then I don’t feel so bad.” -From The Sound of Music Composed by Richard Rogers And Oscar Hammerstein II.
I’m one of these happy-go-lucky people who tries to find the best in this impossibly troubled world of war, greed, power hungry politicians, starving children, mistreated animals … well, you name it, it’s out there.
I used to write a blog called “Little Mary Sunshine” because this is what my eldest child, my daughter, called me. I think a lot of this is true. I do try to look at the bright side, but lately it’s been difficult. When my world seems darkest, I start making lists. Not necessarily writing things down, I keep them in my head to ponder on occasion. These are lists of good things, favorite things, and some things can even be human in a unique way.
For instance, I’m a drama person. My major in college was English with an emphasis on the performing arts. I loved doing plays, directing plays, even writing plays. I had favorite characters and even had the opportunity to portray some of them.
My favorite was Daisy from the play Driving Miss Daisy. I loved her. She was spunky, outspoken and a bad driver. Her son hired a driver for her. She took issue. He was a black man, Hoke, who eventually won her heart. In the final scenes of this marvelous story, Daisy is in a nursing home and Hoke is helping her eat a piece of pie. She said in a somewhat shaky voice, “Hoke, you are my best friend.” Mind you, she wanted nothing to do with him at first. She was a bit of a racist, but she learned that the color of a human’s skin doesn’t have anything to do with how human and kind he really is.
Another favorite character was Honey Raye Futrelle. I played her in three different shows. They were southern comedies, and she was just about as southern as could be. She was also somewhat of a flirt and really liked men a lot. I wore a big blond wig and was always butting into other folks’ business. She was fun to play. So here we are with two “things”, human characters, who were favorites of mine.
I’m a book-lover. The number of books I’ve read in my now longer life is unknown to me, but the number must be in the thousands. The first books I remember really liking were the Bobbsey Twins series. I believe I was in the 3 rd grade. By the time I outgrew them and moved on to Trixie Belden books, I was maybe in the 5 th grade. Along the way, another favorite comes to mind, Old Bones the Wonder Horse, by Mildred Mastin Pace. It’s a true story about a famous racehorse called Exterminator. I still have it to this day.
As a teenager, a favorite book was 1984 by George Orwell. Ironically, it is popular now because of all the political implications. And it is banned in some places, which is ridiculous. I do not believe in banning books. Yes, parents have a right to choose books for younger children, but no one has a right to ban books just because he or she doesn’t approve of it.
Other favorite authors are John Steinbeck, James Michener, J. R. R. Tolkien, Diana Gabaldon, John Grisham, and so many more — although I am not a huge fan of British literature except for Canterbury Tales and Beowulf. My favorite book of all time is The Stand by Stephen King. I truly like big, thick, meaty books.
Movies have not been a huge part of my life for a good while, but I do have movies that go beyond just liking. Most Disney films are movies I’ve rewatched many times, but Bambi just about did me in. I liked the old War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, some Doris Day and Rock Hudson movies, and later The Breakfast Club, Grease, Dirty Dancing, and even later Forrest Gump, Avatar, Star Wars, The Way We Were, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and my favorite The Natural. I really like baseball movies. My favorite musical, both in the play and the motion picture production, is Mama Mia. I don’t care if the actors were not great singers. They were great actors, and it was so fun to watch.
In this time of turmoil and ugliness, set some time aside to think of things that make you happy—favorite things. They can be food, clothes, just about anything. Sit back and daydream a bit. You’d be surprised how much happier you’ll be if you concentrate on good things.