It's All Good!

Submitted by ambient on Thu, 08/27/2009 - 14:11
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  • a toddler’s vocabulary
  • the crackle of firewood
  • long afternoon shadows
  • a good view and all day
  • bay windows with a padded bench
  • being the person who gets to tell the scary story at the Scout campfire
  • sunken living rooms
  • the hand movements of a "hula" dancer
  • warning your visiting city friends that they’d better not stare too long at a herd of cows
  • artistic license
  • hot-air balloons
  • a skinny "bass man" in a doo-wop group
  • funnel cakes
  • overfeeding a bonfire
  • riding on the top of a double-decker bus
  • seeing a cat run 30-mph
  • the line, "gangster of love"
  • finding a waiter that’s worth more than their 15%
  • experiencing the complete silence of the deep forest during a heavy snowfall
  • ambience
  • old "two-way" radio talk (Roger, Wilco… Over)
  • Tex-Mex
  • combed beaches
  • knowing someone who volunteers regularly for “clown” duty in local parades
  • long icicles
  • childhood memories of being carried to bed (half asleep) by your dad
  • spinning spaghetti on a fork
  • revolving doors
  • turning off all the lights except those on the Christmas tree
  • punctuality
  • leather reading chairs at upscale bookstores
  • the coolness of a freshly overturned pillow
  • the couple of seconds your dog takes to see and hear if you really threw the ball this time.
  • bunk-beds when you’re a kid
  • bunk-bed tents
  • bluegrass harmonies
  • the smell of the air just before it rains
  • accidently falling asleep for just a few minutes during an afternoon laydown
  • Bonzai trees
  • watching the dancers on an old clip of American Bandstand or Soul Train
  • busy, after-dark, summertime sidewalks in Gatlinburg, TN
  • homemade tortillas
  • the smell of coconut oil on a beautiful body
  • old gray-haired hippies that still say “man” after almost every sentence
  • making lists for your own enjoyment
  • watching the set-up of an apple press at an old cider mill (Franklin Hills, MI)
  • feeding ducks
  • baby Spanky of the "Little Rascals"
  • your dog speeding out the opened door hoping to catch that long-gone squirrel he’s been watching out the window all day
  • frozen custard
  • the occasional snap of an old country screen door
  • suddenly discovering you weren’t really lost after all (wink)
  • being motioned to come over and sit next to someone
  • the age-old mystery of charisma for one, and chemistry between two
  • sleeping where it’s so cold the only part of your body exposed to the air is your lips
  • thumbing through a decades-old catalog
  • remembering to pause and take a deep breath
  • Godiva Chocolatiers
  • the smell and coolness of an unfinished poured concrete basement
  • watching B.B. King’s butterfly fret work
  • the apple of your eye
  • between the legs and back over the top swing dancing
  • the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm
  • night-flying over cities from 20,000 ft.
  • the elegant beauty of a thoroughbred race horse
  • the height to which a cat’s rear end can raise to meet the hand stroking it
  • barbecuing
  • food so spicy it makes you sweat
  • snow that sticks to every branch and twig of a tree
  • the stiff look of a little kid wearing a thick snowsuit, mittens and an oversized ski hat
  • the huge beach ball bouncing around the crowd before a concert starts
  • laughing with someone so hard you have to look away from one another to stop
  • smiles you wear all over
  • the smell of Play-Doh
  • hearing a song that takes you back to an exact moment in your past
  • unexpected success
  • shelter from the storm
  • not eating turkey after Labor Day just so Thanksgiving will be better
  • a surprise phone call from an old friend
  • any suggestion that starts with, you're never too old to...
  • Fall colors
  • spooning
  • singing harmony with the one you love
  • waking up with an arm wrapped around you
  • hand-cranked vanilla ice-cream
  • skipping stones with a friend
  • roasted corn on the cob with lots of butter and salt
  • rotating dessert displays in family restaurants
  • you'll always have your dreams
  • competence
  • school art projects from your childhood that your mom has saved for years
  • Currier & Ives winter scenes
  • street musicians
  • successful midnight snack hunts
  • helping a child find unexpected ways to play with household objects
  • a view of sailboats skimming the horizon
  • giving your kids a running ride in the wheelbarrow
  • tree houses
  • little reminders that nature rules
  • pausing to give a kind word to a volunteer
  • meeting someone at the airport
  • a handful of Oreos and an ice-cold glass of milk
  • old saloon-style swinging doors
  • the faint sound of a distant train and the wonder of where it might be headed
  • a quick wit and a silly disposition
  • James Taylor's grin
  • the way little kids draw green cotton ball shapes for the tops of trees
  • a well-worn carpenter's bench
  • decorating the Christmas tree
  • using a sifter
  • miniature doors leading to secret places in old houses
  • generosity
  • deep leather couches
  • the wild blue yonder
  • old dog names like buster, patch, rover, chance, rusty, etc...
  • Frankenmuth, MI
  • finding two good reasons to do something
  • b&w checkerboard garage floors
  • lily tomlin doing edith ann
  • the sound of horse hooves on cobblestone
  • the way Ringo bopped his head when he played
  • the sound a cloud makes as it flows through the treetops
  • old fashioned porch swings
  • gold-leaf lettered signs
  • sleepy babies halfway through their bottles
  • comfortable silences
  • dartboards
  • drag strips
  • fleeting magic
  • walking through freshly roughed-in houses
  • little women with big voices
  • old train depots
  • free-throws
  • Monument Valley, Utah
  • roll top desks
  • arriving early for a huge estate sale
  • the silence and logo presentation before the movie begins
  • time-lapse photography
  • memories of younger days when you were the first to arrive and the last to leave the amusement park
  • tugs-of-war
  • Tiffany desk lamps
  • a bolo tie with a nicely tailored suit (ex. Tunnel Of Love cover)
  • devoting a entire day to making love
  • strangers you see so regularly that you feel they're almost friends
  • a small hardware store whose owner knows exactly where everything is located
  • Jackson Hole, Wyoming
  • any place where you can stand on land and look down upon the clouds
  • daring to take a short, careful drive around the city during a power blackout
  • barbecuing in January - preferably with snow on the ground
  • dreams of storm chasing as a well-paying profession
  • air shows
  • having just enough nooks, crannies, doors, and drawers to keep a neat looking desk
  • "thirsty stone" coasters
  • stories of stubborn mules
  • champagne flutes
  • wafts of fresh, warm, yeast-filled bread
  • gratefulness
  • taking a deep breath on a crisp day
  • when your dog leans into your scratch
  • hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows
  • memories of listening to Ernie Harwell and George Kell call a Detroit Tigers game over a transister radio
  • touring Biltmore Estate in North Carolina at least once
  • frosted mugs of A&W root beer (draft)
  • the old submarines, hoagies or grinders debate
  • the sawdust and cotton-candy smell of a county fair
  • old pine forests with carpets of brown needles
  • trying your best to stay upright while sprinting down a 300 ft. lake shore sand dune (Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI)
  • a harmless rolling and tumbling wipe-out in an overloaded toboggan
  • Lisa Loeb's glasses
  • the twist of the brush stroke on a great oil painting
  • the gearshift on a recliner
  • the firm handshake and ever-so-quick eye contact that further emphasizes a thank you between two men
  • Norton addressing his golf ball
  • texas toast
  • straightening up after catching yourself slouching and suddenly feeling inches taller
  • close-up, slight-of-hand magic tricks
  • white picket fences
  • an appreciation for anything more than 100 years old
  • secretly restoring old photographs and giving them back as gifts
  • face-to-face slow-dancing
  • just knowing I could still take a trip on a train if I really wanted to
  • the aroma of freshly cut pine or cedar
  • the old custom of a gentleman rising when a lady enters or leaves a room
  • flirtatious stares (goo-goo eyes)
  • the too-rare cabbage stalk sprinkled with salt
  • 40's retro clothing
  • the unmistakable crack of a wooden bat connecting with a 90 mph fastball
  • interior brick walls
  • a well-placed lilt in a vocal phrasing
  • willow trees
  • rekindled friendships
  • white sand, green water, blue sky combinations
  • effervescence
  • homemade onion rings
  • when one-size-fits-all fits you
  • being there for someone
  • believing that crying is good for you
  • horizontal lightning
  • going great distances for small laughs
  • snowflakes on eyelashes (borrowed from geek)
  • a cake baking
  • the whispered scream of gusting winds blowing through a window screen
  • an occasional, extravagent vacation
  • taking a lone, summertime drive in the country with the windows down and the radio off
  • dimples
  • throwing kernels of popped corn for your dog to catch in the air
  • possibilities
  • memories of slowly twisting your swing and then holding on as it quickly untwirls
  • classic vaseline-edged hollywood portraits
  • newspaper delivery
  • the anticipation of destination
  • skating rinks
  • Remington sculptures
  • having fun like you were a kid again, and nobody else noticing
  • thinking caps
  • heavy banistered, winding staircases
  • the self-satisfied strut of a dog that won't bring the frisbee back to you
  • when a re-mastered album brings surprise
  • the ever-so-slight brush of the cheek during a slow dance
  • the two seconds before an exploding smile breaks into a giggle
  • refilling the birdfeeder
  • finding a good un-cut, nicely restored black & white movie on tv at the exact moment you're in the mood to watch one
  • the magic of seeing someone on t.v. after you've met them in person
  • courteousness
  • a new carving board
  • the rustle of fall leaves
  • county fairs as places for farmers to congregate
  • Ed Sullivan introducing Topo Gigio
  • old-fashioned door keys
  • watching people bend weirdly as they climb out of their vehicles at highway rest areas
  • Marx Brother's silliness
  • window seats
  • the occasional single 10" round pancake
  • custom colored bowling balls and the people who use them
  • trying your best to distinguish between feminine and masculine scents
  • a dog "faking" patience
  • swinging your legs as you sit on an open pickup tailgate
  • the first full strum on a newly tuned guitar
  • old car hood ornaments
  • turkish taffy
  • a "just right" toasted marshmallow
  • cottages that you can only see through winter trees
  • any river you can hear before you see
  • Appalachian "huge, water-rounded rock" rivers
  • liquid nitrogen & roses
  • shiny hardwood floors
  • window seats
  • the long, original version of the Vogues "Five O'Clock World" visually performed by the Drew Carey Show cast.
Author Comments: 

Fond memories collected as I've strolled through life.

ambient08/27/2009

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