Of High Import

There are a few things that really, really matter to me.

1. My family. 

I like spending a lot of time with them, doing things for them, laughing with them, playing games with them, and just generally hanging around. I always get new ideas from my sisters regarding cooking, and they always listen to me and love me, even when I'm being utterly ridiculous. I'm telling you, you can't buy that dedication and love. You also can't force someone to play approximately 15 rounds of games with you during the holidays. My brother can always be counted on for a good round of gaming! 

2.  Comfort. Especially furniture and clothes.

I cannot abide being uncomfortable. Couches that have faux cushions, pillows that have rough or hairy finishes, chairs that have backs that only go halfway up your spine, or are not the right shape for my little non-bony behind are just wrong. I'm not saying your couch has to be more comfortable than your bed. I'm just saying that if I can't watch a movie on the couch without aching at the end, the couch isn't comfortable, and you should get a comfy one, if at all possible. 

My clothes must also be comfy. Soft is the byword. No little beads that can scratch my sensitive skin. No constricting materials to keep my legs so they can't breathe. Rough material is verboten! Supima or bust! And my shoes. Oh, my. My shoes have to fit. (Shoe shopping with me is a nightmare. Ask anyone! They'll tell you I'm telling the truth.)

3.  Food

The older I get, the more I appreciate good food, and the effort it takes to put food together. Recently I took up reading cookbooks. I thought only boring people read cookbooks for the first 27 years of my life. Ha! I was wrong. I have benefited many times from cookbook readers. I used to have a swanky job where my boss' boss was a foodie. We went out to all the fashionable restaurants in San Francisco when I had occasion to go there, and I had some great food. I had sea bass at a dim sum restaurant that I still can almost taste. I had halibut that melted in my mouth. I had partridges that were skewered and had arugula and risotto with it. I had ginormous corn at a Peruvian restaurant. I also (not work related) have lovely memories of eating Rainbow Salad. 

Now I read cookbooks. I think about the things I eat. I think about the lives of the animals I eat. I think about what the animals I eat eat. I think about the farmers who farm what I eat. I think about the hands that pick the food I eat. 

4.  Time to myself.  

Sometimes, I get "like butter over too much bread." It's important to take time to be myself, for myself, as myself. The older I get, the more "recovery" time I need. Hmmmm. I'd prefer for that to be reversed, but I'm making do with what I have. 

5.  Sleep.  

I love it, I hate it. Can't live without it, don't like taking the time to recharge. I'm working on my attitude about sleep. I've made almost no progress on it. I'll try to improve a little every day.