Ten Things I Love

I know so many people who are cynical about Valentine’s Day. Most of my friends acknowledge that it’s a holiday designed by Hallmark, and FOR Hallmark. I can completely see their point of view. Who wouldn’t?

What I prefer to focus on each Valentine’s Day is to take a moment to appreciate all the love and joy I have in my life.  I do this more often than once a year, of course, but with life being so busy most of the time, we often forget to actually say it out loud, so the people we love can hear it. Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Remember, no one can read your mind.

Once I pause to think about my relationships, my heart expands to include all sorts of things that I love and appreciate.  In honor of Valentine’s Day next week, I figured I’d say it out loud:

I love…

Fur babies – No explanation needed. Nothing brings joy like a content purr or a sweet puppy face that's always - without fail - happy to be near you.

Innovative people – I love “the crazy ones,” and Steve Jobs is at the top of my list. I will miss him terribly.

Music – Whenever I’m feeling stressed or bogged down by life, I always listen to Nina Simone’s “FeelingGood.” This song is my go-to reminder of the big picture: I breathe. Life is good. 

Failure – When I lie in bed at night, I summarize the day’s events as a series of successes and failures. Some days I have more successes than failures. It feels great to achieve success, certainly! But there are other days when my failures outweigh the successes. Failures teach me twice as much about myself. It shows me where to focus my energy, and what I need to learn more about. Most importantly, if I’m not “failing” at something, it means I’m not pushing myself forward and trying new things.

J.K. Rowling agrees. And Morgan Spurlock, the director of Super Size Me, has a new weekly show online, called The Failure Club, that documents several New Yorkers in their quest to do something they’ve always wanted to do. Watch them “fail.” It’s inspiring.

Meeting the wild face-to-face – When I was at Kripalu Yoga Retreat in early January, I went for a walk in 15 degree weather.  (This is very unlike me. I don’t like winter at all). When I paused to watch a babbling brook flow down a hillside, an ermine popped out onto a rock and quickly dodged underneath it. 

I blinked – literally – and suddenly a red-tailed hawk was sitting on the rock, casually looking for the lunch he’d just spotted next to me.  That hawk stood no more than 4 feet from me for about 5 minutes. It was an extraordinary moment; one I haven’t stopped thinking about since. 

Food – Life is too short for bad food, and one of my favorite resources in this area is CTBites.com. The gorgeous photography will make your mouth water, and they do a great job of keeping you informed of the local food culture. Restaurants like Sugar and Olives, Artisan, Farmer’s Table, LeFarm and Lianna’s Trattoria, celebrate a healthy, whole-food culture.  We’re incredibly lucky to have the food culture we do in Fairfield County. 

Not to mention, the ultimate “romantic evening” for me is making dinner with my husband. I call it “Slow Food Sunday.”  The quality time we share while making dinner together, is the highlight of my day.

Organic – The fact that the organic food movement is growing everyday gives me hope for future generations. And it isn't just about the food we eat. It’s about the products we use as well. We all need to continue to demand better. 

My job – I love meeting new people every day and learning about their lives. I’ve never felt so satisfied by a job in my life, and it comes from running a small business. There is no question that its hard work and long hours, and I appreciate the support for small business that comes from resources like The 3/50 project and the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce. Having this business has forever changed my shopping habits, too.  I will go out of my way to support other small businesses. I get better service, a more unique selection, and a far more pleasant shopping experience.  Most importantly, my money does more good for the local economy.

Feeling Cared For – My current career wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for my innate desire to feel cared for. No, I’m not a princess. I just believe everyone can stand to benefit from healing touch on a regular basis. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we all received a weekly massage? How glorious would our society be?

Life! – Stop and “smell the roses” in life. I’m pretty sure that was the original intention of Valentine’s Day, anyway.  For me it is, at least. 

Happy Valentine's Day!