Ten Things I Can’t Live Without

The blogiverse came calling a few days ago and asked me to write a list; 10 Things I Can’t Live Without.  It’s taken me a while to get around to it but, while I may procrastinate, I would never ignore the requests of the blogosphere.  Besides, this is a camping blog, and the topics are slim pickin’s this time of year.  So here we go.

1. I’m sure it goes without saying that family and friends are at the top of the list.  In particular, my husband and my little boy.  My life would be a darker place without my three-year-old’s hugs and ‘I love you’s.  My husband has been my co-conspirator for more than 15 years.  He is my safe place, the one that I lean on and the voice that assures me, with unwavering confidence that things are not as bad as I think they are.  I could muddle through life without him, but I wouldn’t want to.
2. The internet.  When I was a kid, I would have told you that I couldn’t live without TV, but that was before the internet and the untold potential it has to entertain, employ, and connect me to the far-flung corners of the world.  You can take my TV and I’ll survive, but please don’t take away my interwebs.
3. That being said, I couldn’t possibly live without mindless distraction; which may, or may not involve TV.  It could be YouTube clips, reruns of The Office or the latest gossip from TMZ, but sometimes I need to quiet the nasty voices in my head by numbing myself with fluffy, irrelevant non-sense.
4. Every now and then, a nice crusty heel of baguette can go a long, long way.  It’s the best part of the loaf and it’s mine, so hands off!
5. The new and the novel.  If there was nothing else to learn, if there was nothing new to get excited about, there wouldn’t be much point in carrying on.
6. Someone with whom I can poke fun at others.  People are funny.  Let’s face it, people are hilarious.  But things are much less funny if there’s nobody to laugh with.  When I see an old lady, in the car next to me, with 16 bobble head cats wobbling away on her dashboard; I need to have someone there to point it out to. It’s all about sharing, really.
7. A vehicle.  I know, I know, it’s not a very environmentally friendly thing to say but I live in the boonies!  Nothing and I mean nothing (but the mailbox) is within walking distance and public transit is something I’ve only heard about in bedtime stories.  Without a vehicle, I’d be a prisoner here.
8. Animated movies.  It’s sad to admit but they make my life a whole lot easier.  The boy loves them.  He loves to sit and watch them and he loves to play with his toys with a movie in the background.  He is even starting to follow in my footsteps and memorize his favourite movies word for word.  Ahhh, my wasted youth; I’m glad I could pass that on.
9. Comical sociopolitical commentary.  I would rather get my news from a talk show, any night.  They are often just as accurate as a news broadcast and they never make situations overly dramatic.  Instead, they use humour to take the edge off some really heavy stuff.  I hate drama.  Make me laugh, Mansbridge or give that Order of Canada back!
10. And the number 10 thing I can’t live without….Oxygen!  OXYGEN!