The Best Things in Life

Dear George,

Lately I seem to be down in the dumps.  It might be the aftermath of a long winter.  Or I could still be mourning the loss of our sheepdogs.  Or maybe I’m just characterologically gloomy.  Whatever the case, I tried making a list of my favorite things in my life.  Like favorite movie, favorite board game, etc.  The longer my list got, the more cheerful I found myself becoming.  This was such a heartwarming task.  After I got about 50 different things, I decided it would be best to put them into alphabetical order and pick the best one for each letter.  I’m putting my list here to encourage readers to try this exercise for themselves.  I’d say it’s guaranteed to boost one’s spirits on a cold, miserable day.  

Best Things in Life

Actress: Vera Farmiga (Norma Bates on Bates Motel) 

Book: the I Ching

Cowboy: Hopalong Cassidy

Downton Abbey character: Daisy

Everyday wine: Gato Negro Shiraz ($5.49) 

Fast food restaurant: Subway (Veggie Delite footlong on Parmesan Oregano)

Gadget: FitBit

Humorist: David Sedaris

Ice Cream flavor: Lemon Flake (Ideal Dairy, Hwy 577, Menominee — long defunct)

Jazz musician: Thelonius Monk

Kentucky day trip: Berea

Line dancing routine: Blue Night Cha

Ludlow Avenue establishment: the Esquire Theater

Musical: Chicago (1975, starring Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera)

National park: Mammoth Cave

Ohio day trip: Yellow Springs

Pop singer (all-time): Patti Page 

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Road trip: To San Francisco and back (1959)

Standup comic: Louis C. K. 

Superhero: Captain Marvel

TV show: Ray Donovan (Showtime) 

U.P. legend: Paul Bunyan

Vehicle: 1941 Lincoln V-12 (purchased by my father from Lou Reed, ca. 1952)

Website: Rotten Tomatoes

Xylophonist: Milt Jackson

Year: 1960 (graduated from college; got married; began graduate school) 

Zoo: DeYoung Family Zoo, Wallace, MI (Menominee County) 

Making my list was so pleasing that I encouraged Katja to do it.  I gave her a bunch of categories, and she picked the most meaningful ones.  Here is how her list wound up. 

Best Things in Life

Author: Vladimir Nabokov

Book: Moby Dick

Classical composer: Frederic Chopin

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

European city: Venice

Flower: Pansies

Grade school teacher: Miss Kruger, 3rd grade, Spring Garden School, Phila.

Ice cream flavor: Bisque rum raisin

Jazz musician: Miles Davis

Kentucky day trip: Berea

Leisure activity: Reading a book

Movie: Lawrence of Arabia

Newspaper: New York Times

Opera: Madam Butterfly

Pop Singer: Adele

Queen: There’s only one — Queen Elizabeth

Road trip: Our cross-country trip to the West Coast (1963)

Supreme Court Justice: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Theater: Fiddler on the Roof

Unforgettable event: Our marriage (1960)

Vacation: Three months in Europe together (1964)

West Coast location: Dixon, CA

X-men: Wolverine

Year: 1969 (J was born)

Zany: Groucho Marx

After Katja finished, I asked how the task made her feel.  Much to my surprise, she said, “Depressed.”  She added, “It makes me feel like I don’t know anything.  I just feel narrow and limited, constricted.”  “But what about all those positive things?” I asked in amazement.  “I have to choose between them,” Katja said, “and that makes me feel bad.”  That was bewildering to me.  I think I will read her list back to her tomorrow.  I think she will feel much better about it.  I’m still confident that this is an excellent psyche-nourishing task, though it may not be infallible. 

Love,

Dave