My Favorite Things

Men named Don apparently like Julie Andrews a lot. Don [and Gloria] Survant and Don [and Bev] Bielema both forwarded to me the “then and now” [49 years later-] pictures of Julie and the Von Trapp kids of the “Sound of Music” movie. [Helen and I once danced in the gazebo in Strasburg used in that movie.]

Each of those kids, though, and Julie, too, is not just 49 years older. Each is still the same person s/he was in the “then” photo. In God, everything is always “now,” the “eternal present,” in Paul Tillich’s term, and an eternal present, as in gift, in God’s terms.

The Dons also forwarded Julie’s new version of “My Favorite Things,” one now that she’s almost 50 years older:

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak, when the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short, shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache, when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Despite the laughter, old age is difficult. We all have those old age maladies of which Julie sings. One of the best ways to deal with a problem, though, is to laugh at it, and to recall those “favorite things.”