some of my favorite things in all the world (this week)

earlier this week, in one of the comment discussions that takes place at sprigs, i mentioned that i just might makes a list of my favorite things in all the world. well, here it is (at least for this week).

watching lynn’s hamster, tater, eat. tater is so cute as she stuffs her cheeks. and watching her little paws hold a raisin, well, I haven’t seen anything that cute in a long time.

entourage. this. show. cracks. me. up. sunday night i caught up on the last several episodes. kevin dillon makes me laugh. out. loud. love it.

the way my husband does his best to keep the sky from falling onto my head on days when it threatens to do so.

this poem by david whyte. erica introduced me to david whyte a few months ago on her blog. and i have been looking for a book of his poems ever since. over the weekend, in a little bookstore on bainbridge island, i found one. and i have been reading this poem before i go to sleep this week.

the movie the constant gardener. i know it has been out for a while, so i am just getting on board here. if you haven't seen it yet, i hope you will. it may not uplift you but it invites you to think. the acting is incredible. kind of want to be rachel weisz this week.

my dear friend melissa. she has known me for 15 years, and she is still my friend. our friendship becomes deeper every year, every day and this is a blessing. her sense of humor invites me to giggle and laugh and guffaw at times. we encourage one another to live in our lives authentically, even when this seems impossible. and i appreciate the way she holds me in her heart even though we are miles apart.

do you know the book bitter with baggage seeks same? well, i don’t own it, and part of the reason is because i love to rediscover it in bookstores and gift shops and open it and stand there reading it until tears of laughter roll down my face. not kidding. and in trying to explain this to lynn, i discovered that there IS A WEBSITE. please click on over to it, right now, and click to “extracts.” then come back here and tell me which one made you laugh out loud. (oh and if it is not your thing, no worries. surprised the hell out of me when I stood there laughing in urban outfitters a few years ago. i am more of a touchy-feely person as you might have known. but this book, well, it cracks me up.)

dancing. i have sucked jonny into dancing to marc broussard’s song “home” as millie watches us wondering what is happening.

the movie you’ve got mail. if you feel a bit bruised or overwhelmed (like I do this afternoon), and you need to catch your breath, watch this movie (you should own it so you can do this whenever you need it). escape to the lighthearted world this little movie gives you and enjoy the soundtrack. delightful. and now that i have seen pride and prejudice so many times lately (see the next one on this list), i enjoy all the references to this book (that i need to read, i know i do!) and the ways the characters parallel elizabeth and mr. darcy. you should know that i have seen you’ve got mail so many times that i can recite the lines along with the actors. and i still crack up at all the same jokes. every time. i love this movie. and today, i relate to meg ryan’s character kathleen even more than usual as she is trying to find her place in the world. she says, “i lead a small life, valuable but small. and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven’t been brave? so much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn’t it be the other way around?” yes. this is a feeling i know.

mr. darcy. yes. the mr. darcy. he is one of my favorite things in all the world this week and every week. and this summer, we have spent quite a bit of time together. this is a bit of a teaser because i plan to tell you all about this in another post soon.

a website i came across today. if you haven’t already done so, go find out where the hell matt is. watch the video; you will be glad you did.

the song Virginia woolf by the indigo girls. yes, i am still listening to it over and over. so much so that when i am listening to an iTunes playlist that includes it, i expect to hear the opening bars of virginia woolf when it finishes, even though james taylor insists on singing instead. this song heals my heart a tiny bit more every single time i hear it.

and one thing that is my least favorite this week: when people invite you to take on emotional guilt. hate that.