Is it just me or is Fall particularly wonderful this year?
All of the descriptions that we expect of the season are actually happening. There's only been a handful of cold and raining days.
This perhaps brings me back to the age old question: What is your favorite season?
I always say Spring, act like it is Summer, secretly think it is Fall, and wish that it were Winter. Perhaps this is just because I see what there is to appreciate in each, but maybe it comes down to the fact that I am bad at picking favorites. period.
Any one song could be my favorite in a particular moment, but ask me to name my favorite song, or even just a band, and my mind goes blank and it is as though I have never heard music before in my life. I can't even name of title of a song I find mediocre. On my own time, if I try to think about it, I always get way to caught up in deciding the factors to consider, never making it to actually then considering a song by those factors.
Food is a little easier, though I usually have to stipulate this is my favorite food "for this time of year" or "for this meal" or more likely "when it is sunny outside and I'm with friends and they're having something to compliment the flavor."
My family has long considered me indecisive, usually because of how long I take to decide at a restaurant. (I've gotten much better at that by the way.) But I'm not sure that indecisive is a precise enough word. I do make decisions. I make decisions every day. If I was cripplingly indecisive I fail to see how I would get dressed in the morning (though I have to admit it is difficult some mornings, particularly if the weather is iffy or the function I am attending is vague on casualness). And being a teacher kind of necessitates decision making, sometimes rather quickly.
Friends of mine have summed me up as an over analyzer. Which they also admit comes in handy when they are trying to figure out a social concern. But can you really "over" analyze something if large quantities of analyzing is all that will get you to the proper answer?
My husband says perhaps it is because I am "unfocused." But that isn't it or I wouldn't spend sooo much time thinking about it. Besides, while I may be easy to distract, this is hardly a reasoning for not being able to pick a favorite. Maybe it is because I am too focused?
Or, rather, maybe it is a matter of being precise. I do get a bit touchy when people use words imprecisely. Though if that is the case, then I am hypocrite for all the times I round off, figure things are "close enough," and generally otherwise mutilate the English language in my casual speak.
So what is it? It is an aversion to being pinned down? If I say my favorite food is pepperoni pizza, then will you expect that to still be the case in 2 years? I can't even guarantee that will be the answer in 2 minutes. Though I might say it is my favorite pizza. (But- see chocolate chip cookies below) And yet, I do prefer to be pinned down as somethings. I am a writer and a teacher. I have no qualms over spending the rest of my life with the same man.
Maybe I just care too much about the situation. Situations matter immensely after all in deciding the meaning of an action.
Or maybe I don't like to declare something better than everything else. This could be it. I never really liked the term "best friend" until I started using it more liberally. I had 3 best friends in junior high and different types of "best friends" after that. Maybe I am just constantly trying to find equality in matters and therefore shun away from anything that makes me say yes "this is better" if only for this moment. But that doesn't stop me from being able to grade a paper. Particularly good ones that are better than all the others.
Then again, when it comes to negative things, it seems a little easier. I have dubbed Scream Bloody Murder the best worst movie ever. If that counts for anything. Though I can't decide who is worse: BGE or Comcast... Who rips me off more for the shittier service. Perhaps it is Comcast, because at least BGE WORKS most of the time. However, BGE also charges me for things that never happened and have lawsuits against them because they do it to everyone.
But enough about them. The Comcast internet troll will probably post some comment about how I can contact customer service if I complain too much more. Though, I suppose when I do complain, Comcast at least gives me my money back. BGE just tells me my fridge is plugged in. Duh.
Anyway, I've been completely distracted and perhaps have proven this very thing that I am trying to nail down, perhaps making indecision seem like the right word.
But is it really so wrong to consider ones choices in depth? Isn't thinking about things meant to be encouraged? Should I reserve this kind of detailed attack for more pressing issues like "what would Jesus do?"
Quite simply, I can not tell you what my favorite anything is. Unless, I suppose it is a subset of one thing. For instance, I just bought these new iced and chocolated soft gingerbread cookies and my favorite ones are the ones coated in white chocolate with the dark chocolate bottoms. Yes, those are my favorite of that cookie variety.
Though with cookies, I could probably tell you that Chocolate Chip is my favorite. It is always there, always right. Always appropriate. Certainly I adore the taste of white macadamia nut, but I would eat a chocolate chip cookie whenever one was offered to me.
Of course, this is a choice made over years and years of trial and error and likely is a question that was posed to me when I was like, 10. And though other cookie flavors do come out, they are no where near as fast as say, songs or movies or books.
Then again, there are only 4 seasons.
So here we are. Right back where we started.
Which is why I think it is perhaps just better to do away with favorites all together. Does it really matter what is the best overall? What does declaring something as your favorite really say about you anyway?
Besides the fact that it takes away a question for me to ponder to death, not having favorites is quite liberating. No one need expect anything and neither do you. You can try new things, return to old standbys, and relish in each little moment for what it is.
Like Now: a cool crisp Fall night, a beautiful moon, and hallaluah! radiators that just kicked on to warm me to sleep.
All of the descriptions that we expect of the season are actually happening. There's only been a handful of cold and raining days.
This perhaps brings me back to the age old question: What is your favorite season?
I always say Spring, act like it is Summer, secretly think it is Fall, and wish that it were Winter. Perhaps this is just because I see what there is to appreciate in each, but maybe it comes down to the fact that I am bad at picking favorites. period.
Any one song could be my favorite in a particular moment, but ask me to name my favorite song, or even just a band, and my mind goes blank and it is as though I have never heard music before in my life. I can't even name of title of a song I find mediocre. On my own time, if I try to think about it, I always get way to caught up in deciding the factors to consider, never making it to actually then considering a song by those factors.
Food is a little easier, though I usually have to stipulate this is my favorite food "for this time of year" or "for this meal" or more likely "when it is sunny outside and I'm with friends and they're having something to compliment the flavor."
My family has long considered me indecisive, usually because of how long I take to decide at a restaurant. (I've gotten much better at that by the way.) But I'm not sure that indecisive is a precise enough word. I do make decisions. I make decisions every day. If I was cripplingly indecisive I fail to see how I would get dressed in the morning (though I have to admit it is difficult some mornings, particularly if the weather is iffy or the function I am attending is vague on casualness). And being a teacher kind of necessitates decision making, sometimes rather quickly.
Friends of mine have summed me up as an over analyzer. Which they also admit comes in handy when they are trying to figure out a social concern. But can you really "over" analyze something if large quantities of analyzing is all that will get you to the proper answer?
My husband says perhaps it is because I am "unfocused." But that isn't it or I wouldn't spend sooo much time thinking about it. Besides, while I may be easy to distract, this is hardly a reasoning for not being able to pick a favorite. Maybe it is because I am too focused?
Or, rather, maybe it is a matter of being precise. I do get a bit touchy when people use words imprecisely. Though if that is the case, then I am hypocrite for all the times I round off, figure things are "close enough," and generally otherwise mutilate the English language in my casual speak.
So what is it? It is an aversion to being pinned down? If I say my favorite food is pepperoni pizza, then will you expect that to still be the case in 2 years? I can't even guarantee that will be the answer in 2 minutes. Though I might say it is my favorite pizza. (But- see chocolate chip cookies below) And yet, I do prefer to be pinned down as somethings. I am a writer and a teacher. I have no qualms over spending the rest of my life with the same man.
Maybe I just care too much about the situation. Situations matter immensely after all in deciding the meaning of an action.
Or maybe I don't like to declare something better than everything else. This could be it. I never really liked the term "best friend" until I started using it more liberally. I had 3 best friends in junior high and different types of "best friends" after that. Maybe I am just constantly trying to find equality in matters and therefore shun away from anything that makes me say yes "this is better" if only for this moment. But that doesn't stop me from being able to grade a paper. Particularly good ones that are better than all the others.
Then again, when it comes to negative things, it seems a little easier. I have dubbed Scream Bloody Murder the best worst movie ever. If that counts for anything. Though I can't decide who is worse: BGE or Comcast... Who rips me off more for the shittier service. Perhaps it is Comcast, because at least BGE WORKS most of the time. However, BGE also charges me for things that never happened and have lawsuits against them because they do it to everyone.
But enough about them. The Comcast internet troll will probably post some comment about how I can contact customer service if I complain too much more. Though, I suppose when I do complain, Comcast at least gives me my money back. BGE just tells me my fridge is plugged in. Duh.
Anyway, I've been completely distracted and perhaps have proven this very thing that I am trying to nail down, perhaps making indecision seem like the right word.
But is it really so wrong to consider ones choices in depth? Isn't thinking about things meant to be encouraged? Should I reserve this kind of detailed attack for more pressing issues like "what would Jesus do?"
Quite simply, I can not tell you what my favorite anything is. Unless, I suppose it is a subset of one thing. For instance, I just bought these new iced and chocolated soft gingerbread cookies and my favorite ones are the ones coated in white chocolate with the dark chocolate bottoms. Yes, those are my favorite of that cookie variety.
Though with cookies, I could probably tell you that Chocolate Chip is my favorite. It is always there, always right. Always appropriate. Certainly I adore the taste of white macadamia nut, but I would eat a chocolate chip cookie whenever one was offered to me.
Of course, this is a choice made over years and years of trial and error and likely is a question that was posed to me when I was like, 10. And though other cookie flavors do come out, they are no where near as fast as say, songs or movies or books.
Then again, there are only 4 seasons.
So here we are. Right back where we started.
Which is why I think it is perhaps just better to do away with favorites all together. Does it really matter what is the best overall? What does declaring something as your favorite really say about you anyway?
Besides the fact that it takes away a question for me to ponder to death, not having favorites is quite liberating. No one need expect anything and neither do you. You can try new things, return to old standbys, and relish in each little moment for what it is.
Like Now: a cool crisp Fall night, a beautiful moon, and hallaluah! radiators that just kicked on to warm me to sleep.
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