My love list

It's hard to get it down to a Top 10, but here goes.

1. I love my family. Suze, Emmy and Josh. This is an old photo but definitely captures a time where all of our love was expressed through laughing, smiles, piggybacks and playdates. We still share a strong love but it’s a different kind now. Still powerful in it’s own way, but often unspoken and more of understanding and acceptance.

2. I love my friends. I dare not name them all, but those who are closest know who they are. Some I speak to regularly, some infrequently. The older I get the more I want to hold them dear and do more with them. It feels like the occasions to do so get drowned out by the busyness of everyday life; but I never regret catching up with a friend.

3. I love working. I know that’s a strange thing to put on a love list but I genuinely do. Working is almost my hobby as I enjoy doing it so much, when I have spare time I often start working before any other activity. Certainly more than exercise.

4. I love dancing. If I think about times I feel unbridled joy it’s when I’m dancing. At a concert, in the lounge room. I don’t care how I look (‘dance like noone’s watching’) I just love the way it makes me feel.

5. I love footy. That’s AFL for the uninitiated. I love watching it, going to it, talking about it, reading about it. Cricket season is short and passionate, but footy is my real lover. I count down the days until it comes back each season. I can see myself watching it for the rest of my days.

6. I love travelling. Big cities thrill me. New York was my first love. Now overtaken by London. Still so much of the world to see, and I hope to do so more very soon. I can fully see the next decade being a time of travelling and exploring a lot more.

7. I love Haigh’s Chocolate. The best in the world. Enough said. I eat as much of it as I can, as often as I can.

8. I love reading the newspaper. It makes me sound 85 years old but Saturday morning I get up and read as many (in print) as I can. If I’m travelling I always buy the local newspapers and sit in coffee shops and read. In London that means 7 different papers! My thirst for curiosity is endless, and I can’t imagine ever not reading them either in print or online.

9. I love Gluten Free Special K. I genuinely wake up excited to eat it. It’s the strangest feeling to want to wake up and eat breakfast but I really do!

10. I love the sound of the Cello. It’s what I hear in my head in silent moments. And for me, YoYo Ma rocks. Combined with my all time favourite TV Show ‘The West Wing’, this is my version of Valentine’s Day.

So, what’s on your love list? What are the Top 10 things you love?