The Pooh’s favorite song is the alphabet song, her number one in her top ten playlist since she was 18 months old and could say, “Ma, ‘gain! ‘Gain!” I played track 12 on a kid’s CD over and over in the car and begged the toddler gods to release me from alphabet song hell.
Fortunately, we have more musical variety in our lives now.
Today, using the alphabet as inspiration, I bring you the following random personal tidbits:
A is for guardian angels. Throughout the years, I have felt their presence and believe they have protected me from harm. And for Abuelita Abigail, my paternal grandmother, who was a feminist, historian, businesswoman, writer, poet, and painter. Movie star gorgeous in her youth. I miss her.
B is for baking bread, the best smell in the world. Baby bellies, so delightful to kiss. Books, my refuge and bliss. And beauty. I can’t live without beauty in the world.
C is for cookie. Love making them. Never met one I could resist. Creativity. I’m just figuring out now that I am a creative, artistic type, which explains a lot of my career frustrations. Only took 20+ years, but hey, better now than never.
D is for daffodils, the most cheerful flower out there. Dresses. I always want a new one. And depression, which visits periodically, sometimes with debilitating consequences.
E is for Easter, the sacred holiday of rebirth, new beginnings, and God’s infinite love for us all. Elephants, animals I love for their intelligence and heart. I hope that I live to see the day that they are no longer be held captive in zoos or circuses.
F is for friends, who have been my family through good times and bad. Fun, which is catnip for me to do anything. And for my father, whose absence I felt acutely growing up. I am glad that I got to know him and made my peace with him before he died.
G is for the Greek gods, who fascinated me as a child. Gadgets. I love them, cooking gadgets especially. My strawberry huller is one of my favorites. What can I say? I’m a kitchen dork.
H is for hypocrisy. I reserve a special contempt for it.
I is for international travel. I get a rush when I touch down in a new country, and hope to experience many more cultures and return to some favorites once the Pooh is older.
J is for jam, never jelly. Japan. Really want to go there, especially to Kyoto.
K is for Kickee, the Pooh’s nickname for my sister. The Pooh is her mini-me. Kilimanjaro, which I climbed during a backpacking trek through East Africa after grad school.
L is for The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, two of my favorite books of all time.
M is for Mexico, the land of my birth. I left when I was four, returned again when I was 19. I will always long for it in a visceral way I cannot explain.
N is for the Northern Lights, which I am determined to see in person someday. Pablo Neruda, for his exquisite poetry.
O is for ovaries. I grew a pair when I became a mother.
P is for Pooh, of course!
Q is for quirky – I’m told I am.
R is for rolling with the crazy twists life has dealt me. Rhode Island, my lovely home for the past two years.
S is for “Snuggle, cuddle, curl up!” – the command that the Pooh gives me every evening at bedtime. Spanish, my first language, which is now my second. I speak it with a Mexican lilt and the accent of a gringa. My grammar and vocabulary are rusty, but I forge ahead anyway.
T is for time alone. I need it regularly or I start to crack up.
U is for urban living. I prefer the city over the suburbs.
V is for vision. I’m terribly near-sighted. I’ve worn glasses and contact lenses since second grade.
W is for writing, which has given me back my voice and brought great joy into my life. Words, which are my building blocks and playthings. Whales. Mysterious and magnificent. If you’ve ever gone whale watching, you understand.
X is for xochitl, the Nahautl (Aztec) word for flower.
Y is for lemon yellow. In some of my favorite pictures of the Pooh, she is wearing this sweet, happy color.
Z is for zoos. Not a fan. Zucchini bread. Definitely a fan.
And with that, my friends, I close with two of the Pooh’s favorite YouTube alphabet song videos. Enjoy!
Sesame Street: ABC Song with Tilly and the Wall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvNCmb9a6Qc
Sesame Street: The Alphabet with Elmo and India Arie
adventureswiththepooh 