Whenever my little sister Anna feels scared from a scary commercial, or a shadow in her room at night, after praying for the angels of God to protect her, she always whispers to herself “Puppy dogs and rainbows! Puppy dogs and rainbows!” I think this is really funny, but sometimes I find myself doing the very same thing in scary situations. For most people, “puppy dogs and rainbows” comfort them. They’re friendly, and happy. They’re also two of Anna’s favorite things. It made me think of the song “These are a few of my favorite things” from The Sound of Music. You know – “when the dog bites, when the bees sting…” when you’re feeling bad? You simply remember your favorite things, and then you don’t feel…. so bad.
My favorite things make me feel really happy, and a whole lot better when I’m feeling angry, or upset, or even scared. So I thought what better way to share my favorite things than in a blog?
My first favorite thing I wanted to share was reading. I love the words as they spill off the page, and especially, especially the smell of the book. The eloquence of the words thrill me, and I love to intrepret poems, such as The Moon is Distant From the Sea, by Emily Dickinson. I love keeping a book of the shelf and pulling it out months after I’ve read it, only to read it again because I love reading the book aloud. I love keeping a book on my desk for months at a time so I can sit down after school and flip to a random page and read it aloud to my stuffed animals. I love fanning the pages of the book in front of my nose and inhaling the scent. I love, love, love reading.
Along with reading, as most of you know, I love writing. I love it as my pencil moves across the page, or my fingers tap the keys on the keyboard and words appear on my screen. I love words, because words are life. I love to write. I love sharing stories, and writing the story I want told, whether in a 46-pager or three-line poem or a short story I wrote in ten minutes in my spare time at school. I love to write.
In my room, when I’m reading or writing, I listen to music. I listen to classical music when I’m reading. I listen to Pop music that makes you want to jump up and down. Country music makes me feel like it’s summer time. Jazz music makes me feel like I’ve been transported to the past. I love music because like writing and reading, it can describe just how you’re feeling or make you feel happy when you’re upset.
My favorite things pull me out of a sore spot or bad day right when I need them to, and that’s why I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad. 🙂