The Things I Love

Back in 2003, I made a list of things I love. Periodically, I make a new list. I seems that thinking about those things which we love tell us a great deal about ourselves. In a series on Gideon Strauss' blog, he asked several people SIX important questions, the first being, "What do you Love?" Here is my list:

What Sarah Hempel Irani loves

1. Erik, Erik, Erik, a thousand times Erik (my ever-gracious husband)

2. Our daughter, Asha

3. Asha’s wild, untamable curls and her wild, untamable heart

4. The sound of my husband’s voice, especially when he says my name

5. Memories of my incredible childhood, and the people who were a part of it

6. My parents and brother, all of whom I would describe as “radically loving”

7. The yellow-green light that comes through the trees in the early evening

8. Tea and the rituals surrounding tea

9. Verrocchio’s hands

10. Being barefoot

11. Moss and other tiny flora found on forest floors

12. The Lives of the Saints

13. Toe socks/ tabi socks

14. Poppies

15. Running in the woods

16. Reading The Pilgrim at Tinker Creek on vacation (I bring it with me every year)

17. Breakfast with my father

18. Connecting people

19. Soaking in the bath

20. Wine from Rioja, Spain

21. Fish for breakfast

22. Exploring big ideas

23. Gardening and cultivation, especially with plants native to the place

24. Carrara marble

25. Beautiful portraits

26. Stories of how couples met

27. Inspiring people to follow their dreams

28. Preparing meals according to the seasons

29. Essays by Wendell Berry

30. Taking Communion

31. Visual puns

32. Making love

33. Sculptures of the Blessed Virgin Mary

34. Erik’s hands

35. Beautiful mathematics

36. The excitement at the starting line of a 5K race

37. Redemption stories

38. Great story tellers, especially my father and brother

39. Swimming in lakes

40. Red jackets

41. Indian fabrics

42. Snuggling with my family in the morning

43. Midnight walks

44. The shapes of pears and eggs

45. Children and adults alike exercising their God-given creativity

46. Juxtaposing the grotesque with the beautiful

47. Hearing from people who really love what they do

48. Handwritten letters

49. Picasso’s Guernica

50. Incredible women, especially my mother

What do you love?