Give Me 10 Please

When I asked Steveroni for a letter with which to write a post about 10 things I love he gave me the letter "P". It took me a long while to come up with ten P words to write about. I had to go look up a dictionary like list for help.

The rules of the game are simple. You are assigned a random letter and you should then post 10 things that you love that begin with that letter. If you read this and want to play, leave a comment that says so, and I'll assign you a random letter. And on and on it goes.


1. Pop. That would be 'soda' to some of you. I love pop. So much that I don't keep it in my house. At least not the kind I drink because it's too much like booze for me. Once I have a sip I just can't stop. I would be embarrassed to tell you how much pop I am capable of drinking. I drink it when I go out for meals and rarely in between. See, I make rules about my pop drinking, so that tells you how wretched it can be. My body does not like pop. She tugs on my sleeve and begs me to stop. I have yet to listen although I have cut down considerably.

2. Pages. It was Erasmus who said "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." I've never lost the thrill of burying my face into the inky freshness of a new book. Most of my books come from the library but I do buy some, too. They usually fall into three categories: a memoir, a writing book or a spiritual book. Occasionally it's fiction. My latest fiction purchase is The Higher Power of Lucky. Doesn't it sound like a great book? It should be in my mailbox soon.

3. Higher Power. Is that cheating? I love my Higher Power although I am convinced it is more important that I let my HP love me. I learned that from Brennan Manning. I believed it the second I heard it. Well, that's not completely true. First I had a momentary panic that God would frown and then I got over it. I don't think one can be loved too much. There's infatuation and other things that look like love but LOVE - can't soak up too much of that.

4. Progesterone cream. Looking in the dictionary is giving me weird ideas. I wasn't expecting to put hormones on my list of things I love. I do love my progesterone cream, though. The kind they make up in a cream that matches on a molecular level, the stuff my body makes. Or needs to make, but doesn't. This cream has been magical for me. I went from feeling like the top of my head was going to explode with built up irrational rage during PMS to being pretty well serene during that part of my cycle. The change was like night and day.

5. Pugaboo. Yep, I love me a Pug. She is a real comfort and a source of laughter and love. Her antics liven up our home. I'm tempted to get her a playmate but I don't want to train a puppy. She is a faithful companion. I am surprised at how strong my feelings for her are. Totally caught me off guard.

6. Privacy. That might sound strange considering I have a blog where I bare my soul. Yet I am a private person. We once shared a yard with a business and there were people coming and going from early morning until closing time. It was one of the least favourite places I've ever lived despite it being a very big house with lots of light. I love me some privacy. I don't want to look out a window and see someone else's window. I'd hear you coming long before I ever saw you where I live now and that suits me just fine.

7. Prayer. Although I'm private about it. I don't like to pray in front of others. I sometimes feel guilty about that but my prayer life is mostly wordless. Silence. Stillness. I admire others who are comfortable praying, talking to God, as if no one else is there, (to listen to dearest one pray is a privilege, it's like standing on holy ground) but I haven't learned how to do that very well.

8. Planting garden. I love to wiggle my toes in the earth, sinking my hands into fresh dirt and placing the seeds just so. I feel lost without a garden. Last year was the first garden in a few and I was grateful to be healthy enough to go out there in the early summer dampness to take care of it. I love to hoe the earth and breathe it all in. I come from a family who loves gardening and flowers. I still plant Evening Scented Stock every year in my garden, just like my grandma did. I am allergic to perfume and I often think of these flowers as the scent my children will remember me by.

9. Pretty things. I love pretty things. I have a real weakness for dishes and it's only my practical side that keeps the penchant for the pretty at bay. Otherwise I'd have a gazillion set of dishes and pretty bowls and cups and such. There are so many pretty things. It can be anything - from the way the sun shines through coloured glass to the elegance of a single flower in a vase. I appreciate beauty.

10. Peace. Kidding. I just asked dearest one to help me out with this last word and he said "peace." Instantly he said "nope" and we laughed. He loves peace. Wishes I would give him some. So here's an extra one because peace is really his word, not mine.

11. Play. It is only as an adult that I have loved to play. My favourite toys are my skip it, my bottle of bubbles and my crayons and colouring books. I love to play baseball but my shoulders won't let me anymore. Skipping rope is fun, too.

Well, that was harder than I thought it would be. I'd change it all but another "P" word - perfectionism - is something I'm trying to let go of so I'll let things be as they are.