My Favourite Things, almost forgotten …

My daughter looked at me with a sadness and fear I’ve seen too many times in the mirror. She had to speak in front of the class. What if she couldn’t remember a word, or say it properly? What if, what if … I asked her to pick a lucky charm to take with her, and the what ifs stopped. She searched. She brightened. A tiny porcelain sheep became Lucky Lamb, or LL cool lamb, a rapper who would be at her desk cheering her on. That is why our world is given children, to sustain the human race in part by reminding us adults of connections between our power within and the objects around us.

Day Eight of my Keep It Super Simple quest for a cool to the burnout: find a favourite thing.

For the past seven days i have added to my daily routine four extra glasses of water, an extra serving of veggies, five minutes of exercise, 15 minutes of quiet time, 10 deep mindful breaths, a half-hour of sleep, and a weekly reflection. Today I add finding a favourite thing, holding it if possible or otherwise spending a bit of time with it. My first object? LL cool lamb, who just a few months ago was languishing in a dusty basket on an even dustier shelf in my office. I cleaned house and gave it to my nine year old, who promptly gave him a home on her bedside table. Today, he is in her backpack guiding her through a class presentation. How can I not love him?

We surround ourselves with things, seek storage solutions with the hunger of knights pursuing the Holy Grail only to lose sight, literally and figuratively, of these things we claim to love. Why is that teacup and saucer so carefully stored on your shelf? What is the deal with that ratty old bear? These objects have stories, and are part of your story. LL cool lamb has become part of mine, how an object I had was able to ease the angst of my child, channelling a courage she didn’t know she had. And sharing a power I didn’t know I had.

Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow.