Happiness A-Z: A

Okay, so by now, most of you have probably seen and/or participated in the alphabet meme that is going around.  Someone assigns you a letter, and you list 10 things that you love that begin with that letter.  (My "O" list is here.)  I've had a great time visiting everyone's lists and seeing all the different things that people come up with, and I've been inspired.  

One of the things that I wanted to do with this blog was to celebrate the little things in life, and I'm afraid that I haven't been as diligent about that as I would like.  Shana over at So Not Zen began a project earlier in the year to list 5 things every day for which she is thankful (click on the 365 Days of Grace button in her sidebar...or just click here).  I think this is a great idea, and I thought I would combine the two and work my way through the alphabet, each day listing 5-10 things that make me happy, that I love, that I am thankful for, etc. 

So let's get started with

A

1.  "Amarillo by Morning" - This is quintessential George Strait, and it is one of my all-time favorite songs.  The thing that sets this song apart from all the other country songs about rodeos and bull riding and the life of the cowboy is the fiddle at the end of the song.  The fiddle is great throughout the song, but at the end, everything else fades away and you are left with a haunting fiddle that sort of rises up and floats away like smoke.  Unfortunately, the radio stations always tend to cut this part off.  Because they're idiots.  I can't think of any other acceptable explanation.  Even if you are not a country music fan, go check this out.  Buy it on iTunes or Amazon.com or wherever you get your music from if you have to; it's only 2 minutes and 54 seconds of your life, and if you truly regret that you will never be able to get back those 2:54, let me know, and I will spend the $0.42 to send you your dollar back. 

2.  "Angel of Harlem" - This is a U2 song, and you all may already know how I feel about U2, but the reason I like this song in particular is...hard to put into words.  It's energetic and celebratory and joyous. It's all the things that I want this explanation to be that it's not!  LOL. Seriously.  Think about something that you are passionate about, that you lovelovelove, something that has inspired you, moved you, but you can't quite explain it in a way that will adequately express it to anyone else.  That's where I'm at with this explanation, and that was where Bono was at when he wrote this, except that he DID manage to adequately express it, and he and the rest of the band manage to convey this love with such enthusiasm that you can't help but be happy when you listen to this song.  *sigh*  If you hate this one too, then I owe you $2, and you should never read any of my song recommendations again.

3.  My cousin, A____. - She's one of the smartest, funniest people I know, and I love her dearly.

(BTW, these aren't ranked in any way!  I was just wavering about whether to put her under "A" for her name or "C" for cousin).

4.  Apples -  They're tart and sweet and shiny and pretty.  They're in season after most of the other fruit has passed it's prime.  They're rugged-you can throw one in your backpack or lunch bag and not worry about it getting squished like a handful of strawberries or a bunch of grapes might.  Also, in dire situations, they could be thrown in self-defense.  What's not to like?

5.  America - I'm not exactly what you might call patriotic, and America isn't perfect, but when I look around at places in the world where women are still considered property, where a woman's worth is measured by how many cows she can bring to a marriage, where women are not allowed to show themselves in public, where girl babies are killed because they are not as valuable as boy babies, where one's religious beliefs and relationship to God are dictated by law, where civil war is the standard, I am really happy to have been born an American.   

6.  Animals -  While there are a few I could do without like fleas, ticks, mosquitos, rabid dogs, frightened skunks, etc., animals in general make me very happy.