Things I Love

I am in a good mood this morning and feeling extra blessed. As I think about the things in my life I'm thankful for and blessed to have I feel the need to share. Here is a short list of things I love.

1. Life. I'm happy and blessed to be alive and healthy.
   
2. Family. Although my family can work my nerves like no one else, they also love me like no one else. I think there are some family members that I don't like very much, but I love them all. Loving is harder than liking.
3. Mr. Bunny. Love me some feisty bunny. Enough said!
4. Independence. I love that I have the right to choose my own path in life. I make choices that I feel are good for me and I'm not persecuted for them. Not every person and definitely not every woman has that right. So I'm thankful for the privilege.
5. Friends. I have been blessed to make and keep friends. I have friends that span the spectrum of liberal, conservative, race, gender, ethnicity (lot of people don't know that ethnicity and race are not the same), sexual orientation, religions. You get the picture. The common denominator in my friendships is me obviously! Actually the thing that ties all my friends together is that at their core, they are all good people. I recognize that not everyone has these types of relationships in their life so I'm grateful.
6. New Orleans. The city of New Orleans has some well-publicized problems. I'm not going to go into all of them it's enough to say that I am aware of them. I've lived here a long time. I often think the city is one of my friends that I'm so blessed to have. I love that I can find live music any night of the week. I love that there is a readily accessible art community. I am no kind of artist, but I am an admirer of art in most of its forms. I love that I can walk along magazine street with a tasty alcoholic beverage (in a plastic container of course) and not get hassled. I love that daiquiris are available in the movie theatre. I love that I can wear shorts 9 sometimes 10 months out of the year. Mardi Gras! I love that I live in a city that exposed me to things and situations that taught me true tolerance, acceptance and appreciation. Growing up in a conservative small town doesn't always prepare you for that.

This is definitely not a complete list. I was just feeling extra mushy today.