My Favorite Things

Breakfast in Belize: An incredibly beautiful and absolutely perfect morning! 

You know that good ol' song from The Sound of Music, "My Favorite Things"? Why, of course you do! Maria and the Von Trapp fam - Who doesn't know it?! (As an aside, I have seen the film countless times and I never realized till now that Captain Von Trapp is played by Christopher Plummer! My hat is off to you, sir. Your brilliance never ceases. I digress.)

Maria rattles off a list of her favorite things ranging from raindrop covered roses to crisp apple streudels, cream colored ponies and snuggly warm mittens made of wool. What I found fascinating about this song is that upon first glancing at the lyrics I felt as though most of the things mentioned were incredibly ordinary and inconsequential. How could these possibly be considered someone's favorite things? Then it dawned on me: These things aren't ordinary at all! That's when I got annoyed at myself. Why the heck did I think these things were so ordinary? Well, most of us live fast paced lives, myself included, and rarely do we take the time to notice all of the beauty that surrounds us. I guarantee that at one time or another we all take these things for granted... Like the smell of a freshly made pot of coffee, or the feel of a warm towel straight out of the dryer, or the way the sunlight comes in through the window in the morning making everything the light hits look ethereal.

I am certain that each of us has our own list of favorite things. Much of it may seem ordinary and inconsequential but these things are what make our world special. I think we get so accustomed to having these little gems surround us that we never truly appreciate them until their absence is felt. Well take a look around today and "stop and smell the roses"!