Sometimes it feels like expectations others have of me rise faster than my ability to meet them, and I start to feel inwardly tense. Years ago it would take a couple of weeks of it building up and getting pretty intense before I’d do something about it, but I’ve fortunately learned to recognize this feeling early on. So tonight I was thinking about how to appropriately rebalance myself, when I read something online – a personalized version of the song from the classic movie A Sound of Music, ‘My Favorite Things’. Do you know the song?
The song has a catchy and upbeat tune, and I’ve always liked it. I was inspired to write up my own version to reflect some of my favorite things, and I found myself smiling and the tension melting away within about five minutes as I scratched out my verses. I did this while listening with the kids to our evening readaloud (we got the book on cassette this time to give my voice a rest and we all listen together) so it’s not Roger and Hammerstein but that’s okay!
Because it made me smile, I thought I’d share it with you. If you know the song that I’m referring to you can imagine the words below set to music.
Avivah’s Favorite Things
- Sweet morning hugs surrounded by littles
- Snuggles and kisses and lots of giggles
- Playing and talking and tying heart strings
- These are a few of my favorite things.
- Jumping in leaves and playing in snow
- Warming up with cups of hot cocoa
- Watching the olders take care of siblings
- These are a few of my favorite things.
- Going on trips and learning together
- Cooking and planting and watching the weather
- Thanking Hashem for my precious blessings
- These are a few of my favorite things.
- Sleeping in tents and hiking on trails
- Building a patio and banging in nails
- Around campfires and on Shabbos we sing
- These are a few of my favorite things.
- Long conversations with time to listen
- A beautiful family that makes my eyes glisten
- All of the love and the closeness it brings
- These are a few of my favorite things.
Refrain:
- When messes pile high
- And I feel stress rise
- And I’m feeling sad
- I simply remember my favorite things
- And then I don’t feel so bad!
If you feel inspired to create a stanza or two of your own, I would LOVE it if you shared it below!
Avivah
Leave a Reply