The Letter F

I've seen this on a few blogs, and thought it was intriguing. When I read Barb P's post, and she offered to send anyone who was interested a letter, I told her to go ahead and send one to me. She wrote: "When I think of your blog I think of the letter 'F' so that's your letter."

Now before I go any further, I have to say that when I read that I thought, Hmmm, I hope she thinks of "Fun," or "Fabulous," or even "Freakazoid" (hi Carol!), not, well ... you know ... that F word ...

Anyway, you are supposed to name 10 things that are important, or themes in your life, all starting with the assigned letter. And so I give you, The Letter F:

1. Family - I love my family, both immediate and extended. And I would just like to say that as far as I'm concerned, you don't have to be a mom, dad and 2.5 children to be a family. My immediate family is Tim and our four cats, as well as any other pets that we have had, or will have. (And of course, Sebastian and Doughboy - honorary family members!)

2. Fur and feathers - On people, no. On animals, yes. I love animals. Once I read in the paper that in Philadelphia, you were allowed to have 12 pets. I pointed this out to Tim. He pointed out that it was "a limit, not a requirement."

3. Fortitude - I think I have a lot of personal fortitude. I try as much as I can not to let anything throw me off too much, and I think I have succeeded pretty well in my life.

4. Fun - Part of my fortitude is because I try to see the humor, or the fun, in everything, even bad situations. There's a lot that a sense of humor will do for you.

5. Fortunate - I am fortunate for several reasons. I have a home and family that loves me, I don't have to worry about having a home or food on the table. Though I have, and have had, numerous health issues, I have a group of doctors that are not only the best at what they do, but are kind, wonderful, and funny people.

6. Feminism - I can remember when girls/women did one thing, and boys/men did other things, and that was it. I remember being told in school that it didn't matter that much if I never was too good with math or science, since I was a girl. I remember that the boys always had the chance to participate in sports, and for girls, the choice was cheerleading. So being a feminist, and wanting women to have equal rights, is important to me. Likewise, it is just as important to me that everybody is able to decide what/who/how they want to be, or to live their own life. A few years ago at an ALA conference, I went to a session where Gloria Steinem spoke, and even though I know a lot of people who think she is awful, I found her to be truly inspiring.

7. Friends - I don't have many true friends, but the ones I do have, I treasure.

8. Fifties - the decade when I was born, and the decade I started last year. So far, so good!

9. Ferocity - I am fiercely loyal to people, places, and things that matter to me. I can also be fiercely against people, places, and things. If you get on my wrong side, that's usually it for you, as far as I'm concerned. Everyone gets the benefit of the doubt once. After that ...

10. Food - I love food, especially when I can share it with family and friends. And if I am in a new place, I think it's fun to find the good places to eat. I like to cook and bake, especially when I can take the time to think about it (as opposed to fixing something quick after work so I can go to the gym or something).

That's it. Finished!