That Which We Love

Bright copper kettles and whiskers on kittens may not make my personal list, but the ache of tired muscles after a long hike or ski sure does. As do libraries, and linen, and sleep. Years ago, channeling a bit of Julie Andrews I suppose, I started a small list, but rather than favourites I labelled mine “Things I Love” since there’s no comparison or hierarchy to the items. These are things, be they objects or experiences, that have drawn an involuntary “I love this!” from me at one time or another. When that happens, I pop them on the list. (If I remember to – I’d actually forgotten all about that page in my notebook until just recently when I was compelled to officially register my enthusiasm for handkerchiefs!)

Looking back at my earlier entries, it’s a short but eclectic ensemble of beloved items like “when the Cochrane hill is golden with the sun and the sky is a solid, piercing blue”, or simply “bicycles”. It’s a fun little window into who I am. And sure, I know we’re meant to be letting go of ego and attachment, and that getting too caught up in one’s personal identity isn’t the ultimate goal. But who isn’t curious which Hogwarts house they’d get sorted into, or what Myers-Briggs has to say about their personality? While a “Things I Love” list isn’t the full picture of who you are, it does have a certain accuracy. I am a person who loves “sunshine on fresh snow” and “plain mason jars”.

It’s not just an exercise in self-absorption either. They say we protect that which we love, so this list starts to paint a picture of what we’d be willing to take a stand for – the kind of world we want to live in. Am I seriously going to lay down my life for “the perfect foil wrapper on a bar of chocolate”? Maybe not, but a world with that type of visual and tactile pleasure, where the look and feel of things is given attention, is clearly important to me. Notably, plastic wrappers did not make my list. And mason jars: how are they so great? I wasn’t analyzing it at the time (a thing gets jotted down when it strikes you right in the heart – no thinking involved), but with a little reflection, I realize mason jars are multifunctional, durable, non-toxic, pleasing to sight and touch, have easily replaceable parts that are interchangeable brand to brand, affordable, recyclable, and timeless. This is why I love them. These are qualities I want products to have in the world. Libraries? Spaces outside the world of commerce where learning and sharing happens, commons that are open to all with no purchase required. If there was serious talk of doing away with libraries, then you would see me stand up and fight.

Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash

I suspect a list like this might reflect the place where each person makes their home, or perhaps spent their formative years. Do sunsets over the ocean stir me sufficiently to make the cut? Nope. But a mossy, burbling mountain stream is something I'd add. Because what we love often springs from place; it’s part of who we are and determines what we’re moved to protect. 

Maybe by simply identifying those things that light us up viscerally, by being attentive enough to commit them to paper, we can orient ourselves towards them, even slightly. We can follow their threads as we go about our lives. In whatever subtle or more overt ways, we might ensure the world continues to contain them, or better yet, builds on them.

If nothing else, a list like this provides you your own custom lyrics for The Sound of Music!

Photo by Carlo Alberto Burato on Unsplash