Yes, it has been psychologically proven that the outdoor elements can definitely affect our moods over a prolonged period of time but, we do have the power to be a bright shining sun on a rainy day or a radiating heat wave on a cold blustery night and....vice versa of course. There have been plenty of sun shiny days where I have felt like an ice storm was running through my veins. Happens to the best of us.
I'm not going to get into the whole theory of "Like Attracts Like" or how we naturally calibrate to the most negative person in the room (Wayne-ism) and must actively fight to keep our positive energy internalized when in the midst of negatively charged personalities, or even how we adopt the characteristics of the five people we spend the most amount of time with. I could write a whole book about that based on my personal experiences.
What I am getting at is something very similar to what I touched on in my "Finding Light In The Darkest of Places" blog, but more basic. This is more along the lines of preventative maintenance. I'm not going to lie, there have been so many times in my life where I have felt like this big practical joke was being played and I was the punchline. I have been hit out of nowhere by cans of "WTF" so many times, it's embarrassing. At 41 years old, I am still very naive and full of hope, but at 41 years old, I have also experienced more hardship and disappointment than most people will in a lifetime. My big ole heart rules my being, not my huge brain. I accept this but.... the two are always at odds. Thankfully, by nature, my weather tends to be more sunny than naught despite the tumultuous, but trust me, when I have my moments, they are like a category 5 hurricane can of crazy.
I am sure I am not the only one to have mornings where you just don't want to get out of bed because the world gave you an Apollo Creed-like beat down the day before. But you MUST find a way to get out of bed everyday because there are people that will never have that opportunity again. I recently found a simple list of some of my favorite things, things that make life worth living, remind me of all the wonderful there really is in this world and that if I do not get out of bed, I may miss out on a great opportunity. I am always going on and on and on about the little things in life but that is because I genuinely know from experience that they are the things that get you through some very dark days.
I asked some peeps to give me lists of their favorite things to help me get through some recent dark days in my life, and in turn, I also wrote down some little things that have helped me recover from the beatings life has laid upon me. Whatever works right? These lists are not meant to be overly profound, they are meant to be simple everyday things we sometimes take for granted. We do what we have to not only to survive, but to flourish and radiate. Never apologize for that. Never let anyone or anything bring you down or make you feel like a punchline. That is a reflection of them, not you.
And without further ado, here are some great lists starting with the author's, who needs it most! <3
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Christian DeCosmo Fessler
3. Puppies and dogs
4. Open windows with cool, gentle breezes of fresh spring air
5. Fresh squeezed Orange Juice
6. Putting on my headphones and zoning out to my music
7. NYC Skyline at night
8. Hand picked flowers
9. Pizza Margherita
10. Eating meals outdoors with good company and great conversation
11. Playing in the dirt. Most worms and bugs do not scare me either. Except earwigs...and centipedes.
12. Mason jars
13.My herb garden
14. Wooden spoons
15. Hydrangeas
16. Hats
17. Spices and seasonings
18. Making food from scratch
19. Funny conversations with my kids
20. Alfredo sauce
21. Bunny rabbits
22. Lobster with melted butter
23. Cookbooks
24. My grandmother's vintage holiday decorations
25. The smell of a man's cologne
26, Roadtrips!! I am Becky's Co-Pilot! I suck at being a co-pilot sometimes. LOL!
27. My vintage tin kitchen canisters that are not really vintage but look vintage.
28. My Pittsburgh Steelers and all football!!
29. People I can bare my entire soul to who do not judge me or change their opinion of me. So rare.
24. My grandmother's vintage holiday decorations
25. The smell of a man's cologne
26, Roadtrips!! I am Becky's Co-Pilot! I suck at being a co-pilot sometimes. LOL!
27. My vintage tin kitchen canisters that are not really vintage but look vintage.
28. My Pittsburgh Steelers and all football!!
29. People I can bare my entire soul to who do not judge me or change their opinion of me. So rare.
30. When my daughter just knows....and hugs me unexpectedly
41. Foreign films
42. Pizza with sweet sauce
43. Wooden roller coasters
44. Writing
45. Handwritten notes
46. Crime shows
47. Snuggling under the covers on cold nights
48. The French Quarter, NOLA
49. NY Finger Lakes wine
50. Witnessing my children do things that make them happy
51. Telling/listening to stories about good memories, adventures and fun times
52. My blonde moments. (Trust me, they shock me more than anyone else when they occur.)
53. Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
54. My Batgirl nightgown complete with cape
55. Eating, drinking, talking and laughing with my family and extended family
56. Boat rides
57. Fried Dough with granulated sugar. (Not powdered sugar, although that is ok.)
58. The sound of waves crashing
59. My Lord of The Rings Books
60. The colors of autumn
61. Kissing
62. Taking pictures
63. Missing someone and knowing they miss you too
64. General Stores/Souvenir Shops
65. Memories of my grandparents
66. Goofy, random texts between my sister and me
67. Making wishes
68. Summer dresses
69. "You can't make this shit up moments" with my silly, goofy friends, kids and family
70. Accomplishing something I never thought I could. Age is just a number. I have personally proved how timeless I can be to myself.
71. Handbags/Totebags
72. Naps
73. Farmer's markets/flea markets
74. Making people laugh, whether it is intentional or not
75. Sharing something I have been through to help someone else
76. Knowing all the challenges/hardships I have faced in this life and still managing to keep my loving, goofy, silly personality and childlike spirit.
77. Crossing things off my bucket list, especially with people I am close with/love.
78. Lilacs
79. Breakfast foods
80. Farmer's Diet Ice Tea (This is one of the things preventing me from moving out of the area.)
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Heather Fessler
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Rebecca Brominski
- The simple question "How was your day?" (And the person genuinely wants to know.)
- Fresh Brewed Coffee
- Smell of fresh, clean laundry
- Conversation with a good friend where you laugh and cry at the same time.
- Tuesday night fun (TGIT) with Meg
- Sunshine
- Rain on a sunny day
- Sitting on the back of a boat
- Reading
- Bundled in a warm sweatshirt on a cool morning
- Checking out the stars
- The sound of water
- Getting lost
- Road Trips
- My goofy friends
- Girls' night dinners
- Birthday celebrations
- Fresh cut flowers
- Silence
- Car rides with CFess
51. Inappropriate conversations with Jacob, Caitlin and Brigid
52. Cards Against Humanity
53. Hugs
54. My niece and nephews
55. Hanging laundry
56. Cowboy boots
57. Matching bra and panties
58. Wearing an old friends' t-shirt
59. Walking down the middle of a street during a significant snowfall
60. Christmas lights
71. Broccoli cheese casserole like my grandma Ruth used to make
72. My sister's/mom's cheesecake
73. Ice cream trips with Lil Miss P and Mason at Hillside
74. Not leaving anyone behind
75. Kielbasa
76. Hats...fun hats
77. Horse racing
78. Reading trashy romance novels out loud to friends
79. Breakfast foods
80. Teaching Landon fun and bold stuff
81. A good cry
82. Laughing so hard you can't stop
83. Pizza with friends
84. Getting a text saying " I love how positive you are."
85. Turtles
86. Using power tools and doing woodwork
87. Smell of a thick sharpie marker.....yes I sniff them (Author's note: Total Badass!! Christian DeCosmo Fessler)
88. Organized closet
89. Color red
90. Homemade icing
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Alicia DeCosmo Sanders
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Terri Shisko McGarry
21. Mom and dad
22. Jim (husband)
23. Danielle (sis) & her family
24. Michelle (cousin) & her family
25. Janine (cousin) & her family
26. Uncle Charlie and Aunt Jeanne
27. Bryan (brother from another mother) & his family
28.
29. Cindy (sis in law) & her family
30. #23
31. Little kids laughing
32. Hydrangeas
33. Going to church and feeling better afterwards
34. Scrambled Eggs
35. Stickers
36. Birthdays
37. The Golden Girls
38. The Family Guy
39. Sangria
40. The Smell of Gain
71. Guacamole
72. Bunnies
73. S'More
74. Dirty Martinis
75. Glitter
76. Penny Slots
77. Baking
78. Thanksgiving
79. Soft serve ice cream in the summer
80. Ankle bracelets
91. Puppies
92. Seashells
93. Olives
94. The Shawshank Redemption
95. Greeting cards
96. Roses
97. When people like what I made to eat
98. Chapstick
99. Tasty Kake Juniors
100. Titanic/ Movie
101. Chrissy Fessler
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Tracy Watkins
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Krista Bailey
- My best hand holder
- Coffee
- Maine
- My mountain
- Anything chocolate
- Long kisses at sunset on the beach
- Pasta
- My critters
- My friends
- My boys
- Coffee
- Being a dreamer
- Quiet
- Waffles
- The smell of fresh cut grass
- Oreos
- Rain on my skylight
- Sunsets
- My job
- My hand holder
61. Smiling
62. Chicago
63. Long drives by yourself
64. Feeling loved
65. Pork BBQ
66. Holding hands
67. Long kisses
68. Strong hands
69. Tears of missing
70. My truest friend
71. Fresh cut grass
72. Pierogies
73. Hot sausage
74. Faith
75. Sunrises at the beach
76. Chocolate cake
77. My dad
78. Romance
79. Passion
80. My best
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Cindy Schultz
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Jere Croll
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Chris Croll
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Tiffany Lynn DiSabella
- My kids laughing
- My hubby
- Puppies
- Italy
- The smell of a baby
- Christmas
- Prince
- The color green
- Dr. Pepper
- The beach
- Emeralds
- The number 8
- Notting Hill
- Grease The Movie
- Snow on Christmas Eve/Day
- Plain M&Ms
- Pizza
- San Pellagrino water
- Piave cheese
- CMP sundaes
61. Wen shampoo/conditioner
62. Tequila/Vodka (Author's note: That's my girl! ....Christian DeCosmo Fessler)
63. Mexican food
64. Twilight books/movies
65. A random act of kindness
66. Scarves
67. Shoes
68. Yoga pants
69. The Winedown (Wine bar in West Reading)
70. Mike's Tavern (Bar in Reading)
71. Holding hands with my hubby
72. Hugs
73. Kisses
74. Butterfly kisses from my kids
75. Eskimo kisses from my kids
76. Seinfeld
77. Brushing my teeth
78. Rainy days
79. People Magazine
80. Yellow roses
81. Gerber daisies
82. Cala Lillies
83. Cosmopolitans
84. Margaritas
85. Target
86. Butterflies
87. Grilled hot dogs
88. Aruba
89. Candles
90. Spontaneous road trips
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Malania Gelezinsky
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Tracey Applebey
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Julia Mackey
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Renee Heimbach
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Tammy Barkus Jones
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Celeste Pacelli
11. Knowing how to free yourself from toxic people
12. Knitting
13. Sparkling water
14. Gin
15. Baked brie
16. Sitting in the sun
17. Cuddling
18. Cool breezes
19. Flowers
20. Getting text messages in the middle of work
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Barry Faust
A Few Of My Favorite Things by Ed
" I needed this more than you know."
"I forgot how much I truly enjoy my life."
"I am blessed."
"I need to make this list."
Sometimes we get so caught up in the stress and disappointment of life that we forget how beautiful and amazing it can be. Time is precious. We are not guaranteed another tomorrow. Know that. Live it. Do not let a stormy moment affect your entire day. Do not allow the negativity of others to affect your character. Make a list. Carry it around with you. Who cares if what others think when you pull it out and glance at it. If this simple list can help change your "weather", then how is that a bad thing?
What I am about to say is not meant to sound negative or discouraging, just honest. Everyday, it is just us....we are all individuals. We are born alone and we die alone. And yes, we may be a part of something bigger, and that is so amazing, but we can only truly depend on ourselves to control our weather. Depending on anyone else to guarantee you a sunny day is called co-dependence, and that is not a good thing. You are not your friends, you are not your family, you are not your significant other, you are not your job, you are not your income. You are.....you. That is all.
Chrissy
