Lately, I have been doing some fun writing exercises (exercise and fun in the same sentence!). One was to choose several books and copy the first lines. As I was looking around my house for various books to pull first lines from, I ended up in our loft which houses all the papers and stuff that has no particular home. I found some long lost (and beloved) books and after copying a few first sentences, I began to write about a particular memory of reading a book I hadn’t seen in many years. It was pretty cool.
Another exercise challenged me to come up with a list of 100 things I love and I almost skipped it. Do I love 100 things? It turns out I do and once I started, I couldn’t stop and I’m adding to it every day. It is somewhat akin to a gratitude list. Here it is:
- puppies
- my family
- ice cream
- blank journals
- cozy sweaters
- rain
- chicken wings
- freshly brewed coffee
- pedicures
- old movies
- peonies
- sunshine
- kittens
- fireplaces
- stacks of books
- flip flops
- freckles
- tootsie rolls
- London
- board games (Scrabble!)
- the weekly Target flyer
- that feeling as you are drifting off to sleep
- candles
- a full tank of gas
- puzzles
- girl’s night out
- dressing up
- the smell of movie theater popcorn
- at home movie nights with my son
- Dewey Beach
- chicken tikka masala
- skiing
- movies that make me cry
- airplane trips
- trying on new makeup
- teppanyaki
- an inspiring homily
- museums
- the smell of a bookstore
- waffles
- my bathrobe
- basketball games
- baking cookies
- new shoes
- an empty laundry basket
- procrastinating
- checking things off a list
- trying new restaurants
- trivia
- driving into the Adirondacks
- cozy blankets
- photo albums
- the poem Renascence by Edna St. Vincent Millay
- lobster
- writing
- having a faith
- Philosophy renewed hope in a jar
- Christmas Eve
- organizing
- hair appointments
- helping someone else
- lying in a hammock
- garbage day
- visiting new libraries
- dim sum
- water
- feeling peaceful
- foreign movies
- New York City
- after a workout
- a jar full of change
- browsing a bookstore
- synchronicity
- holding hands for the Our Father
- classical music
- coincidences
- my engagement ring
- the beginning of the school year
- being early for appointments
- strawberry pop tarts
- fuzzy socks
- reading on the beach
- being the first one up
- Paris
- a kid’s play
- day trips
- a clean house
- riding a bike
- the hot tub
- a bouquet of balloons
- fine tip blue pens
- falling snow
- green jasmine tea
- horses
- our kitchen
- snuggling in bed
- family game night
- hanging out with friends
- peppermint taffy (The Fresh Market)
- road trips
What’s on your list?
MC
I Am Writing 