Rhyme With Reason: 7 Things I Like (And 7 Things I Don't)

This will be the third entry in my "Rhyme With Reason" series. As with previous entries, I will list a number of things which all fall under a single theme. Each "thing" in the list will rhyme, but the "reasons" (or explanations) will not rhyme.


Today's theme will be "7 Things I Like, And 7 Things I Don't Like."  Here we go...


THINGS I DON'T LIKE:


1)  BAKING:  When I was younger -- okay, let's be honest, as recently as ten years ago -- I was actually afraid to stick my hand inside a hot oven. While I've conquered that fear and am able to use an oven the way it was intended to be used, I have still not yet ventured into the wonderful world of baking. Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy it when other people are baking -- the smells are glorious, and the results are usually delicious. But there's something about the precision -- do everything exactly right or it all falls apart -- that scares me off. Maybe one day I'll try it and like it, but for now baking goes in the "don't like" list.


2)  PROMISE-BREAKING:  I rarely make promises I don't firmly believe I can keep. But sometimes I do, and I break them, and that bothers me a lot. Erring on the side of caution is, admittedly, a risk-free way to live, but I'd rather be reliable than be the giver of false hope.


3)  FAKING:  I like to be real as much as possible. But sometimes I'm not. Sometimes situations or circumstances make me feel forced to try to be someone other than I am, and I just go with it. And afterwards, I hate myself. I'd rather be a flawed me than a perfect somebody else.


4)  ACHING:  Sometimes after a good workout (I sorta remember what those are like, though it's been so long ago now), I feel achy all over. Sometimes just in specific places. And even though I know that aching is a sign of muscles getting worked -- no pain, no gain, so they say -- I still don't enjoy the aching. But sometimes it's necessary.


5)  DECISION MAKING:  I am notoriously bad at making decisions. "What would you like to eat?" I don't know. "What would you like to do?" I don't know. "What do you think I should do?" I don't know. I weigh all the options before deciding, and even then I wait for someone else to make the call. This is a problem, and I'm actively working on it, but I haven't licked it just yet.


6)  BELLYACHING:  I don't like it when I'm guilty of doing it myself, and I don't like having to hear other people doing it. Bellyaching doesn't actually solve any problems, it just makes you feel better about feeling bad.


7)  WAKING:  I am so not a morning person! In fact, most days I hit the snooze button for a minimum of forty-five minutes before actually getting out of bed. I have perfected the art of hitting the snooze in my sleep without ever opening my eyes. It takes at least two cups of coffee for me to even remember what my name is, and it takes a good two hours solid for me to be able to function as a productive human being. Sad, I know, but true.



THINGS I LIKE:


1)  RAKING:  I don't currently have a yard to speak of -- I have a paved patio with a few small flower boxes in it. So it's a rare occasion that I actually find myself raking leaves. But whenever I am doing so, I am in heaven (figuratively, not literally). I love the sound the rake makes as it scrapes through the leaves and grazes the ground. I love the sound the leaves make as they crinkle up and die a little more than they already have. And the little kid in me loves dive-bombing a leaf pile after it's been neatly stacked up (though I rarely act on this inclination anymore).


2)  PICTURE-TAKING:  In another life, I might have been a photographer. Even now, I will occasionally get the bug and take some artsy pictures that I'm rather proud of. But I know that it will always only be a hobby. I don't know enough, I'm not creative enough, and frankly, it's just too late now to do anything about it. But I still love taking pictures, and I'm sure I will continue to do so -- if only for my own enjoyment.


3)  SLAKING:  When I am thirsty, I do not prefer to remain so for long. I like to quench my thirst immediately and with as much liquid as I can comfortably fit in my prodigious belly. I would like to tell you that I drink water like it's going out of style, but that would be a lie. In the morning, I drink coffee (as aforementioned). During the work day, it's mostly soda (though three-fourths of the sodas I drink are diet, which ought to count for something, right?). At night, it's mostly tea and sometimes decaf coffee. As I type this, I am quite dry-mouthed, so I'm going to step aside for a second here and go get something to drink....Ah yes, much better now!


4)  MEMORY-MAKING:  I like doing things with people I love that make lasting memories. In the coming months and years, I am sure my wife and I will be making many wonderful memories with our son. Not all memories are good, of course, and I don't enjoy making bad memories (well, duh!). But the good memories, the life-changing experiences that your brain won't let you forget because they're awesome beyond words -- those are the one I not only like, but love to make.


5)  HANDSHAKING:  This may sound like an oddball choice of things to like, but it is what it is. Some people aren't too fond of shaking other people's hands -- it's probably a germ thing. Or maybe they just don't enjoy human contact. But I rather like it myself. Makes me feel like a "real man" to shake another person's hand firmly. I don't know why, it just does.


6)  FORSAKING:  At first glance, this too might seem like a strange thing to like to do. But when you consider a certain definition of the word "forsake" -- to give up something formerly held dear -- it might make a little more sense. There are many things that I've held dear in my life that I never should have. Maybe they were bad things. Maybe they weren't inherently bad, but I spent too much time doing them. But I forsook them -- I gave them up in favor of the things that matter more, namely those things that are eternal. I still have a lot of forsaking to do -- I'm not done yet. I am a work in progress. But if I regret the things I've had to forsake I'll never be able to move forward. And moving forward is an essential part of the seventh and final things that I like...


7)  REMAKING:  In Revelation 21:5, "He who sits on the throne" (and we all know who He is, right?) is quoted as saying, "Behold, I am making all things new." Well, thank God (literally!), because who I was -- and even who I am today -- is not who I want to be, and is not who He wants me to be. He's remaking me day by day into His image. I don't always help His cause -- sometimes I'm a downright stumbling block. But He won't give up on me, and I'm not planning on giving up on Him, either. What would be the point? He's never let me down yet, and I don't think He's going to start now.