Thankful For My Favorite Things

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 I'm a fan of Thanksgiving. It's the holiday of low expectations. There is little fanfare or formality. No gifts are exchanged. No feelings are hurt. It's all about the food. Granted, women are working their asses off in the kitchen - men still falling mostly short in the food prep department - but the payoff is huge. Stuffed and satisfied families blearily wander out of dining rooms to nap away food-induced comas.

The only enduring tradition of Thanksgiving (other than football) is the obligatory recitation of what everyone is thankful for. Children typically follow mom and dad's lead, listing the usual suspects - pets, parents, health, siblings, often in that order. You know, the really boring stuff. No one is selfish or specific.

I'm also a big fan of the little things in life. No, I don't take family, friends and health for granted  - but the small stuff can also supply its own source of comfort.

So, here is a tune in honor of my slices of daily happiness. With all apologies to Julie Andrews, it can be sung (if you dare) to her classic, My Favorite Things:
 
Podcasts on iPads and streaming on Netflix,
Smoothies from blenders and whiskey just for kicks,
An uppity cat whose neck I should wring,
 These are a few of my favorite things.

Fading eyesight,
Hair loss speeding,
Feeling o'er the hill,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I take all my pills.
 
Cream colored coffee and tasty egg scrambles,
Dumb phones and smart phones - a laptop in shambles,
No music skills but two kids that can sing,
 These are a few of my favorite things.

When Stella whines,
To go outside,
"Let me out right neow!"
I simply remember her favorite things,
And swear to be nice, "I vow."
 
An old used blue car with no major crashes,
Except that damn deer I hope is now ashes,
Shutterfly packages the mailman brings,
 These are a few of my favorite things.
 
When my back aches,
From what life brings,
 When I'm feeling blue,
I simply remember my favorite things,
 Whose names are Mag-gie and Drew.

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