Tag, I'm it!

I got tagged again today, and it looks like a good one: check out Heather's blog. She makes me laugh.

So part one is to open the closest book to you, turn to page 56 and write the 5th sentence on that page. My computer is next to my bookshelf, so I reached out for the first book I came into contact with without looking. It turned out to be My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir. It just so happens that this book says a lot about me. My love of nature, of hiking in the mountains, and of the author, himself, who founded the Sierra Club. It was also a gift from M, which I guess at this point, is neither here nor there.

"The serenity of this mountain weather in the spring, just when Nature's pulses are beating highest, is one of its greatest charms."

Part two of the tag: name 6 things that you value and 6 things that you don't.

Six Things I Value:

1) Adventure: May seem weird to top my list with something like adventure. But life without change, life without something new to explore, life without adventure is, to me, no life at all.

2) Friendship: I am still best friends with the same people I called my best friends when I was 12. My mother's best friend died last year and the most greatest tribute to her, in my eyes, was that at her memorial service, no fewer than 5 people said: "She was the best friend I ever had." I would like to be remembered that way.

3) Education: We never stop learning. Life is full of new things to learn every day. I always strive to continuously build knowledge not only in my field, but in totally unrelated areas. Well, at least that's how I rationalize spending money on classes.

4) Family: They are the reason I moved back home after 10 years away. And though I often joke that I love my family...in small doses... I am eternally grateful to have the family that I do.

5) Physical Activity: That may not qualify as a VALUE. Yet it is a central theme in my life. Physical activity is vital to good health, emotional and physical. My very livelihood is based on that idea.

6) A Sense of Humor: make me laugh and I'm half way in love.

6 Things I do not value:

1) All or nothing thinking: It burns me up to hear people say that if you are not like me, then you are wrong, you are a bad influence, you are dangerous. Though I often cannot understand other's points of view, at least I try to recognize that it is not wrong, just different.

2) A big house: A cozy home is nice, of course. We all need shelter and a place to feel comfortable in. The plethora of shows on TV right now, though: Cribs, Million Dollar Realtor, Design Challenge, etc. I think they just perpetuate an unhealthy desire to lust for homes out of our reach. House rich and experience poor is no way to be.

3) Safety: Ok, I wear seatbelts, helmets, don't drink and drive, and all of that. But safety in life isn't in my book. I need to go out of my comfort zone.

4) Fashion: I've never been one to keep up on latest trends, designer clothes, fashion and style. Maybe that's why I look like the "before" people on What Not To Wear.

5) Tradition: I loved "Fiddler on the Roof", don't get me wrong. The idea that there is a certain way to do things and we should continue to do things that way simple because that is the way we've always done it just doesn't fly with me. Mix it up! Create new ways of doing things! Sometimes they way it's never been done is better.

6) Wealth: Money is nice to have. It's a great tool to achieve things we want to achieve. But money has been given too high a priority by too many people. It's certainly nothing to base your core life values on.

AND last but not least: today I polished off the rest of the paper recycling pile! What's next?