Ten Things
A list of things holding me down and keeping me sane
(I never saw myself writing a listicle, but when Terry Barr invites you to join a challenge…)
10 Things I Can’t Live Without, in an order that means absolutely nothing.
- Crashing (TV Show)— Phoebe Waller-Bridge wrote a perfect one-season tv show that does not rhyme with tea rag. All the characters are deeply flawed, perfectly cast, and working through every human high note: sex, truth, art, friendship, death, love, food. I watch at least once a month because even though I don’t believe in best friends, this show is mine.
- Candy Corn—This is me, standing in the gap for The Worlds Most Perfect Candy as October approaches and the perennial haters emerge. I love you, Candy Corn.
- Post-it Notes— Right now I’m using Post-it Notes to bookmark four books. The one stuck to my fridge has a grocery list on it. There are several pressed on my desk, reminding me to read more June Jordan; to overnight my husband’s Passport to him in Colorado; to finish the article about Peaky Blinders Season 1, Episode 5; to add the song I Can’t Live If Living Is Without You to my article on song covers. Annotating books is anathema, so I write on a Post-it instead and stick it to the page.
- Books — My 5th grade teacher encouraged us to choose a book from the classroom library before leaving for Christmas break. I stood before the lone bookshelf, wondering what in the hell a Hobbit was. My friends, I found out, and I have never been the same. I’ve been a reader since I could read, but The Hobbit was the first book I went inside, if you know what I mean. I was Bilbo, beside myself as dwarf after similarly-named dwarf kept barging into my house, expecting food and drink and making an all-out ruckus of my perfect hobbit-house. My entire life was on the line as I ran in the goblin tunnels, as I used all my kid brain cells to guess Gollum's riddles. Books are portals into other worlds and my favorite way to travel.
- Music — Do you remember how magical it felt when you were first learning to read? The click inside your brain as empty symbols became the sounds of words you’d been hearing your whole little life? Music does that same thing for my soul. Notes arranged in a particular time and order unlock worlds that feel both new and known inside me. It’s like music is me.
- 32oz Elvira Water Bottle —Slender enough to fit in my car’s narrow cup holder, this tall, bright blue bottle reminds me to drink water every hour on the hour between 8am and 7pm. Motivational phrases like “Remember your goal,” “Keep Chugging,” and “Almost There” cheer me on. I love it!
- Coffee + Yeti Thermos — This combination is undefeated. The Nectar of the gods in a cup fashioned by Hephaestus himself. Sure, Yetis are expensive, but I’m still drinking a Venti Vanilla Bean Frapp w/4 espresso shots I bought last month. Ice cold! Treat Yo’ Self.
- Blow Dryer — I hate cold, wet things against my skin. It feels gross and slick and creepy. I’ve trained myself to appear normal in social settings (the anxiety I feel at the sight of canned drinks and ice cubes floating in a cooler is barely noticeable these days), but some things I simply can not do. Wait two days for my hair to air dry is one of those things. It hangs halfway down my back when its soaking wet, then works it’s way up to my shoulders as it dries, so like, no. Blow-drying takes me about 45 minutes, and I have company. My cat, Logan, sits at the threshold of whatever room I’m in and stares until he hears a more interesting noise elsewhere.
- My Car —I live in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, where public transportation is more quaint than functional. Also, my car gets me to Myrtle Beach in less than two hours and Ashville, NC, in three. *In the style of Barry White* My mobile office// My music venue// My everything.
- George — a birthday gift from an ex’s father, George is locked in his guitar case in the attic and hasn’t seen sunlight in almost a decade. Even still, seeing that case reminds me of the man with the tender, brown eyes who gifted George to me with the warning to never allow religion to separate me from the music I loved. I ignored this warning twice, but George judged me not once. He is compassionate wisdom and goes wherever I go, forever.
So there you have it, a random list of Ten Things holding me down and keeping me sane in their own special way. I do have a favorite pen and an indispensable laptop and people I can’t possibly live without, of course. Shout out to all of them, too. And paper plates, paper towels, and paper, my Lord, paper for sure.
Followed the trail that led to me and discovered this challenge was started by Eric Pierce, who was inspired by some GQ situation:
picked up by Paul Combs,
then Terry Barr,
…who passed it on to me and several others. There’s a tag: #10essentialthings, where you can find several more lists. Happy reading!