This has been a really sad week, news-wise. From the despicable depths our nation’s leaders are sinking to in order to win an election to the suicide of Tyler Clementi, which will undoubtedly ruin many lives connected to the whole sordid affair, it seems like things on earth are spiraling downward. So I’ve decided to remind everyone (and myself) of the wonderful things we still enjoy on our planet.
#7
Flowers
I used to be one of those people who thought flowers were a waste of time and money; you buy them, put them in water, keep the water filled and clean, and then throw them away because they inevitably die. But after becoming a mother and wife and sort of pretending to keep house sometimes, I realize that flowers can turn the gloomiest day upside down. Just a glimpse of a vase full of sunflowers or lilies on a wooden table with the sun streaming through the blinds makes me happy.
#6
Italy
I love Italy. I love every single thing about that amazing country, from the breathtaking sculptures and cobblestone streets to the dirty metros and little gypsy thieves. Even if I never get to live there again or even go back and visit, it makes me happy to know that across the Atlantic, millions of people get to wake up every day and be in Italy. Lucky, lucky people.
#5
Chocolate
Chocolate is the king of comfort foods. It’s like a hug you can eat. And, also, it’s incredibly delicious in all it’s many and varied forms. I love chocolate.
#4
Art
I mean real art, like the above, not a pile of green candy that some idiot throws on the floor of a museum and calls a sculpture. Picasso, Caravaggio, Michelangelo…you know. Musical and written art, as well. If chocolate soothes the soul, art can save it. (I’m very biased and I consider poetry to be the highest form of art, so I recommend that everyone in the world read Richard Wilbur’s “The Beautiful Changes” or T.S. Eliot’s “The Four Quartets” if you want to know what I mean by real art.)
#3
Cheese
If chocolate soothes the soul and art saves it, then cheese…well, let’s be honest. Cheese greatly expands the waistline. But it does so in such a delicious and endlessly varied way!
#2
Wine
There do not exist enough beautiful words in the universe for me to accurately convey how I feel about wine. I firmly believe that wine is God’s way of consoling us as we journey through life upon this earth. And what an exquisite consolation it is.
#1
Children
Yes, it’s true. As difficult as children are and as much as they make me want to lock them myself in the closet, my days would be much darker without the light from their eyes and much colder without the warmth from their little embraces.
So the next time you find yourself clicking through the news, despairing of the world we live in, just remember: flowers, Italy, chocolate, art, cheese, wine and children. God still loves us.
(Visit Jen at Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!)
Barefoot and Pregnant
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