catapult magazine

there’s a fantastic movement being propagated by Gideon Strauss through his blog and his Intro to Philosophy classes at Redeemer to create lists of “Things I Love.” Check out his most recent blog post on the topic, which includes his own list as well as links to several other people’s lists:

http://www.gideonstrauss.com/archive/2004_09_12_archive.html#109510883168209876

what do you love?

I make my students make a list like this at the beginning of the year. I haven’t done it in ages. Maybe it’s time:

Smelling the air after a good heavy thunderstorm
Homemade Pesto on a toasted crusty slice of Italian Bread
Beer
Holding my wife (this isn’t necessarily in order byt he way)
Watching my son Alex sleep
Feeling my son Sam sleep on my chest
Playdough (next time you get a chance, smell it. It’s wonderful)
RPGs
Campfires
Getting dirty in the garden
Anne Lamott
Teaching Shakespeare, Grammar and Theater History
My Students
Taking a nap in my chair while watching football on TV
Settlers of Catan
Long road trips
Cat Stevens, Bop Jazz and early Jethro Tull
Hiking through an empty forest
Memories of my Gammy and Gampa
Driving to Key West
Watching the sun set on the Rainy River in Emo Ontario
Encyclopedias
My Father
Sharing an evening with Rob and Kirstin, Becky and Henry and/or Jason and Janell
New toothbrushes
Ben and Jerry’s “Cherry Garcia”
Climbing trees
Mowing my lawn
Grilling
That point of fatigue where everything is funny
Swimming
Old Books
Legos
The Chicago Art Museum
Monte Python
Wonderful World Coffee House in Sheboygan Wisconsin
Rollerball pens
Good quality toilet paper
Patchouli and Sandalwood
A Greek feast
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
My mother
Psalm 148
Candles
Fantasy Football
A long strong hug
The Lord of the Rings
Laughing until it hurts
Learning constantly
Swimming on a hot day[/u]

hey, thanks, Norb! i think this will be a good thing to put my mind to before bedtime…

I love…
when cats sleep on their backs
early morning
walking or biking to my destination
friendly waves
Louise Erdrich novels
laughing hard with my husband
making meals and late-night conversation with our housemates
living in a small town
irresistable learning
Lowry’s Books & More (our local bookstore)
napping outdoors
music i can sing to
flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce
visiting “kindred spirit” friends
camping
how the repetition of Psalm 42:8 has the power to calm my mind toward sleep
Elizabethan folk music
driving rural roads at night with the windows open and the radio off
Taize and other forms of meditative worship
World Fare
exloring old buildings
spending time with my immediate family
[i:51e3159b49]Major Barbara[/i:51e3159b49], [i:51e3159b49]Waiting for Lefty[/i:51e3159b49], and [i:51e3159b49]The Woolgatherer[/i:51e3159b49]
swimming underwater with my eyes open
collaborative daydreaming
good dark chocolate
the presence of the Spirit in new understanding
rice
dancing children
signs of spring and autumn
eating fresh, local produce
finding just what i was looking for cheap or for free
quirky, out-of-the-way shops
grassroots community theatre
books
steamed broccoli
airports and traveling by plane
the creation story
growing edible plants
volunteering
Reformed theology
my Aunt Marj and Aunt Sandy
fair trade
Rob
wide-open windows
dawn redwoods
the Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale
thoughtful, excellent films
our church
fruit leather
watching skilled young musicians play rollicking music
riesling
community
old trees and forests
recycling and using recycled products
wild berries
Tessa, my parents’ oldest Golden Retriever
writing