Fifty Favourite Things
I was inspired to pull together this list by one of my When Words Collide fam, Erin Weir, and her recent Erin’s Favourite Things post on her blog, A Flimsy Plan. As someone who talks and thinks a lot about gratitude, I thought this would be a nice twist on the usual kind of gratitude list (and not at all self-indulgent, Erin!). But what would be in such a list for me?
So after much, but without any further, ado, and in only slightly particular order, my list of fifty favourite things at the close of 2023…
Books. Yeah, I know, kinda starting out with the low-hanging fruit here.
LEGO. And yes, I am a bit of a brick snob and mean only genuine LEGO bricks. Also, see comment for item 1.
When my kids reach out and ask me what I’m doing next weekend because they want to do something together.
A really well-made cocktail. Current favourites include smoked gin old fashioneds, dark ‘n’ stormys, and The Return of the Dragon at Fu’s Repair Shop.
Speaking of smoked gin old fashioneds, good neighbours are definitely a favourite.
A really nice bag. I have several but my current go tos are a buffalo leather briefcase bag my mom and my sister got me for Christmas a few years ago and a retro CBC logo bag I picked up at the Royal Alberta Museum giftshop.
My leather jacket. It has a lot of pockets.
The Butterflies & Aliens Library of Literary Eccentricities & Rarities, which I started up with my best book buddy Stacey during the depths of the pandemic and have managed to keep going ever since.
That the acronym for the Butterflies & Aliens Library of Literary Eccentricities & Rarities is BALLER.
When my choir levels up at a concert. Okay, even when we don’t. I just love singing with them, that’s the favourite thing. Here’s a favourite video from my very first concert with Òran.
Singing concerts with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. With also a shout out to the Beer League Concert Band. Making music, that’s the favourite thing.
That moment when you hit enter and a piece of code just works.
The first coffee in the morning.
Living in a library.
Working in a library.
Used bookstores and indie bookstores, with a particular shout out to Audreys as well as The Wee Book Inn, The Daisy Chain Book Company, The Prints and the Paper, Variant Edition, and Paper Birch.
The smell of a bookstore the first time I walk in their doors.
Having people over, with one regular highlight being Books & Bricks Nights.
Book mail. Also LEGO mail. Also actual Christmas cards.
Getting to time travel by handling a rare book or artifact that is hundreds if not thousands of years old. Shout out to Bruce Peel Special Collections for being a particularly excellent time machine.
An excellent meal. Sometimes with friends. Sometimes on my own.
In particular, a really well-prepared steak. But not well done. Rare… maybe leaning into medium rare… is the only way to go.
When your arm hairs stand on end when you’re listening to a choir and they hit a chord just so.
That moment when you put a book in someone’s hand and they say “That’s just what I was looking for!”
Going on a walk, coming to a fork in the path, and picking the longer way home.
Crocs. Because Erin put Uggs on her list and there’s no contest.
Tater tots. With gravy. And cheese. So tater tot poutine. Really, item 23 could turn into its own list of fifty things… a post for another time maybe…
Moments when my worlds intersect. Like meeting a choir person at the bookstore. Or work friends and school friends hanging out. Or that time I figured out that the partner of one of my classmates used to be friends with one of my kids back when they went to school together from kindergarten to grade nine.
Avoir l'occasion de communiquer et de travailler en français régulièrement.
Listening to people passionately share about something they love and care about. And other heartfelt conversations.
Having friends that I’ve known for decades and friends I’ve only just met, and all the friends in between. And not always being able to tell them apart. Good friends are my favourite is what I’m saying. See also items 5, 8, 10, 19, 23, and 30 above. And 31 actually. Also item 41 below. And 44. And 49.
My cast iron pot and pans.
My 2007 Honda Pilot, named Millie, short for Millennium Falcon because she's grey and kinda beat up and falling apart but she'll get you where you need to go.
Swiss Army Knives.
Workarounds, MacGyverisms, and hacks. On certain occasions also known as malicious compliance. Even when unsuccessful. The fact that it ever even existed as an idea, and then was attempted, is brilliant. And then when one actually works… absolutely a favourite thing.
A really nice pair of jeans. And a nice Henley ain’t bad either. So basically all I ever wear these days.
Having artwork around my house, especially pieces that my friends created.
Spotting a fellow nerd in the wild. And (non-toxic) fandom culture generally. Shout outs in particular to my fellow Whovians, Trekkies, Browncoats, AFOLs, Belters, and Star Wars fans. Also all the science nerds and book nerds and choir nerds. Also, see item 32 above.
Hopping on a call or sitting down with a friend you haven’t seen in years — sometimes decades — and picking up like you’d just been together last week.
Flavoured Coke, like Cherry Coke or Georgia Peach. Even that coffee Coke. But not Quebec Maple… that was not a favourite.
Letterkenny. There, I said it. I said it! I regret nothing! Also I feel I should make clear that there is also another diverse list of fifty hiding behind here but also for another time… pitter patter…
Choir and/or librarian social media, but especially on Discord.
Books. Yeah, I know I started my list with books, but there’s books collectively and then there’s the particular book. Maybe a beautiful book as object, where its physical form and features perfectly align and resonate with the story it carries within. That new alphabet book for my alphabet book collection. Maybe a used book that finally completes a set. Maybe a book that somehow just finds you and is exactly, magically, the exact book you needed at that moment. Also, the book as a concept, a technology, a tool. I’m saying books are my favourite. See also items 1, 8, 14–20, 22, 26, and a solid bit of 40 and 44. And 46.
Any time form meets/matches/marries function. Or we dispense with that binary and a thing is just fully the thing it should be. Or deep philosophical conversations about such concepts. So deep philosophical conversations, I’m saying deep philosophical conversations are my favourite.
Strawberry ice cream. Also strawberry milkshakes. Strawberry sundaes are also nice.
Choir retreats and choir tours.
Learning something new. Like what the heck does “make this a bracket” even mean, Erin?
And so as we go careening into 2024, or 2024 comes careening at us, I’m going to keep this list in mind as I start out into the new year. I’m not one for new year’s resolutions but I am always one for intentionality. Keeping my mind on, and an eye out for, my favourite things seems like an excellent intention to have. Or even better, intentionally filling my life with my favourite things, as much as I am able and as much as the universe allows.
To which I’m going to add – with an explicit reminder that this list is in only slightly particular order and also a mention of the fact that I wrote the title of this post very intentionally – bonus item 51: people who come and read what I write. You, you are one of my favourite things.
So best wishes to you all, my favourites, and I hope your coming year will be filled to overflowing with your favourite things too.
Happy New Year!
– Winston
P.S. So what’s on your list?
