These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

      Winter is coming........ The past few mornings I have found temps below freezing and the necessity to build a fire in the woodstove. Sitting with my coffee and the newspaper in front of a crackling fire is one of my favorite things to do.
    
     We all have favorite things. It starts when we are babies. A beloved stuffed animal. A blanket with the right feel. They become an extension of ourselves and are almost synonymous with who we are.  Jamie had Bunny, and Jessie had her Blanket and her dog Fluffy. Even as they got older, Bunny, Blanket, and Fluffy were always with us.

    Eventually, we outgrow the need for these things. Or do we? Societal expectations make us feel that after a certain age, it is inappropriate to carry a stuffed animal around, so we are resigned to leave our favorite comfort object at home on our bed to await our arrival home from school. Our need is still there. We still want and need that connection to that deep down spot of inner peace, but our concern over what people will think of us is overriding, so we find a "Blanket Substitute."

      As a kid it might be a favorite shirt that you wear as often as you can. Or a jacket. Or a pair of jeans. As an adult, our favorite things can be wide and varied. The picture at the beginning is my favorite coffee mug. I got it when I took a 4th grade class to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, NJ, in 1989. There is nothing sentimental about that trip. Nothing that endears the mug to my heart. I just like it.  The color, the shape, and the thickness of the rim just appeal to me. It feels right when I drink my coffee. It keeps my coffee warm enough long enough. I like the way it fits in my hands when I hold it. So every morning that I am home, it is my "go to" mug of choice, and has been for the past 24 years.  Being a teacher for 30 years, I received many different mugs as teacher gifts; Penn State mugs, Best Teacher in the World mugs, Life is Good mugs, Far Side mugs, and I'd Rather Be Fishing mugs, but Cupid the Harp Seal has longevity. It gets top priority when I am making my morning coffee simply because it is one of my favorite things.

      So what is your Favorite Thing? What is that item that you keep close by, that feels just right in your life? I'm willing to bet you have at least one.