VALUES

This was passed onto me from The Jason Show and I thought it was a lovely one because it really makes you think about what one values... or more specifically what I value.

It was interesting timing as I have just come back from the US, where it was a whirlwind of family, old friends and new friends and it really made me appreciate more of what my life is about, or at least made some things in my life more clear than they were previously.

Without further ado, here are the six things I value most:

1. FOOD - I love food, well-presented experimental food is my favourite (ie cauliflower panna cotta with caviar, for instance), but I cannot discredit the good old fashioned comforting favourites like peach pie, roast chickens or a patty melt with fries.

2. HONESTY - I should point out that these are in no particular order. I highly value honesty... which is odd since I am in marketing. I have always had a sixth sense for lies and the lying liars who tell the lies. There is just something inside of me that does not sit right when I am hearing a lie. Most lying is unnecessary (with some exceptions) and life would be so much easier if we could tell, be told and actually handle the truth.

3. FAMILY - Sometimes I forget the value of this one. I had a very rough childhood and we did not have a very strong knit family like others I knew. Once I was of legal age, I moved out of home to a city at least a 5 hour drive from anyone I knew.

4. FRIENDS - Family and Friends are one and the same, but I thought I would stretch it out into separate values.

5. MUSICALS - I love musicals. They are the meaning to life, there is a song whenever you need inspiration, death, life, love, hate, breaking up, boredom, sex, drunkenness.... the list continues. The real trick is to be able to sing them all on cue at the right time.

6. ART - Art is subjective so therefore art is everything and everything is art... or something. It is not so much what the artist intended, but what the piece makes you feel and think. There is not a city I travel to where I don't check out the museum. One of the coolest experiences was visiting the Art Institute of Chicago and seeing the painting that inspired the musical Sunday in the Park with George (see number 5).

I have one more, but I am only supposed to list 6 values... hmmm... OK since "Family" and "Friends" are one and the same for me, I am now officially recombining them back into one value.

This leaves me with:

6B - HARD WORK and RELAXATION - Another double value. I value hard work... what can I say, I am from the Midwest. I don't necessarily mean physical labour because, you know, yuck. I mean working above your best and at your hardest at whatever it is you do in life.

So whilst hard work is great, relaxation is better. I need at least one half day a week to myself to recharge. Usually I spend this time in bed, watching Little House on the Prairie or whatever the latest musical I have found on special at the DVD store.

Now it is 6 things I value the least:

1. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE - Yes, I am looking at you Laura with the brown teased hair, blue eyeshadow and frosted pink lipstick who works at the Thrifty counter the Cleveland airport and Miltha who works at the Northwest check-in desk at LAX.

2. BIGOTRY - We are all individual human beings, with unique abilities, traits, talents, loves, hates, beliefs so why can't we just be grown ups and accept that everyone is different? Of course in saying that, I do have my own bigotry of certain things (for instance teased hair, blue eye shadow and frosted pink lipstick) as we all do. I suppose the goal is to be able rise above them.

3. SLOPPY DRESS - There is a difference between casual and slovenly. If you wear it in bed, don't wear it to the shops.

4. BOSSYNESS - Unless it is me doing the bossing or it is Bossy

5. POORLY DESIGNED ADVERTISEMENTS

6. BROKEN PROMISES

Now according to the rules, I need to pass this along to 6 people. I thought that I would pass this along to 6 people whose blogs I read a lot, but who are not on my blog roll. I just need some time and will power to type their names on here with links.