Thursday, April 26, 2007

My Favorite Things (Age 13)




Seven years ago, a child named Mimi sat bored in class. Instead of pretending to pay attention, she decided to do something she felt was more productive.

She took out a pen and paper and wrote at the top, "THESE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS."

The year is now 2007, and Mimi has just rediscovered the list while cleaning her room.

She paused, and was very touched by this young child's list. Her list. A list that, if written again today, would be quite different.

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- Summer

- Shopping

- Hanging out with friends

- Writing

- Walking barefoot on green grass

- Days off of school - 3 day weekends

- Looking out the window one morning and finding snow

- A movie on a rainy day

- Listening to music while lying down to relax

- Sleeping Zzzz...

- Waking up to find out you can go back to bed

- Opening the windows and getting under your covers

- Finishing a good book

- Dancing

- Presents

- Money $

- Getting mail (opening a big package!)

- Taking a nap in the middle of the day

- Getting an A+ on a test

- Knowing all the answers

- Finding something valuable I lost a year ago

- Finding money on the street

- Winning a raffle

- Mushing shaving cream in my hands

- Getting a baby to be quiet when no one else can

- Making a really nice shot in basketball

- Putting a needle in a balloon

- A clear blue sky

- Holding a cat that doesn't shed

- A perfect hair day

- New shoes, and more shoes and more shoes...

- The feeling after my clean out all the junk in my room

- Coming home from school with no homework and knowing you have time to read, play basketball, hang out, go online, etc.

- When someone is online who you haven't talked to in a while

- Having a test delayed

- Hanging out and having an amazing time with your two favorite people and everyone gets along

- Going to bed early and waking up happy and ready to go!

- Counting down the days to something special

- Waking up sick and being allowed to stay home from school

- Resting during class, next to the window

- Getting paid after babysitting

- Having clothes in my closet with tags on them

- Drinking cold water after sweating from running/exercising

- Having someone make you a fancy breakfast

- A hot shower on a cold morning

- Getting a call from a friend when I am sick

- A clean locker

- Cleaning my room before I go to bed, and I waking up having forgotten the room is clean and opening my eyes and everything is nice.

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At this point, class must have been over.

But if the bell had not rung, perhaps Mimi would have added one more thing to the list: Being a kid, and reveling in simplicities of life before I get older.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

:)
i like.
i'm trying to imagine the in-between mimi...
tfs sister!

Tiferes said...

Ya' know, these things are refreshing! It's such a freeing feeling to read that sort of list from when you were younger. You get to look at what kind of things seemed so important then, and remember there once was a time like that a number of years ago. Not the rigid, (at times) fake, type of world of today, and... in a few years, we'll look at today and get a kick out of our thoughts and obstacles that presently seem so earth shattering! Thanks for sharing it with us! :-)

Anonymous said...

Mim! I didn't know you had such an interest in Basketball. If I had known years ago, I would've emptied out my piggy bank and bought you a ball. Oh well.

Yeah, it's weird how much change time owns. Amazing, actually.

Great post, got me thinking!

Rach said...

Great post Mimi!
Do we get the Part 2?
"Seven Years Later; My list of favorite things"
Keep it up!
Good Shabbos!

Mimi said...

I think my favorite part about this is that I actually titled it, "Mrs. Blaut. Chumash." :)

litzo said...

rejuvenating! i'll add: wearing your winter coat for the first time that season, and discovering money in the pocket. you feel like you won the lottery!!

its important to maintain that innocence. although A+s are not a reality now, lush green grass, blue skies, and even summer are still on my list, thank G-d!

Anonymous said...

just been perusing through your archives. love the old stuff too.

LUCKY is the guy who marries you!

Anonymous said...

what do u look like

the sabra said...

neat list
for ex, forgettin that u cleaned ur room till u wake up.

one thing-u really enjoy putting needles in balloons?

i dont think we can be friends...

*omg NO pun intended by the first two lines. promise!

Anonymous said...

But still berry punny.

Anonymous said...

oh this is so sweet it rlly is.. u had your talent allready in those days...do u trly think u had no worries then tho? i think G-d gives each person worries thy can handle, and im sure some things weighed down on your mind even then. they may not be as weighty or streesful as those of today, but as you grow your problems grow only because you haev the capacity to handle more...not because you are physically bigger, adn then your porblems/worries seemed just as big, trust me...

Chaia Kessler said...

wow, mimi i like i dont think you should change ur ideals......thinking now dont u wish you still had your youthful thinking?

Anonymous said...

and I must add... Coming home from school on a rainy evening to Mommy's home made chocolate chip cookies and other goodies.

Mushky said...

What a list!

I found myself smiling and taking deep breaths as I was reading this list, and relating to my very similar "favorite things".

Even now, still being in my youth, I sometimes find myself clinging to it for dear life, hoping that it lasts.

I don't really want to grow up. Youth is the most innocent thing there is and innocence is beauty.

Of course, I am excited for what life has in store for me in the many years to come IY"H, but nevertheless, I can't help but feel attached to my youth.

Thank G-d I can acknowledge the beauty in youth now.

Something to think about though...why is it then that when you are younger you desire to be older and when you are older you desire to be younger? Why can't we ever be content?

I guess it takes people like you expressing their fondness of youth and their longing for it, to make the youth appreciate where they are.

Thanks for that renewed faith in my own age and stage.