Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Gratitude: The Letter Y

"Yeah," yo-yos, "You Learn," New Young Radicals, "Yellow Ledbetter," yummy foods, "Yellow," "Yo Vivre," yogurt especially frozen yogurt, "You're so Vain," youth, yielding and Yield, and "You're Worthy of My Praise."

"You Oughta Know:" The first time I heard this song I was 16 and driving my Oldsmobile 98 (complete with the navy felt-like material covering the ceiling that was starting to droop) and listening to 99X. I had recently learned that my high school boyfriend (who at that point I'd dated for about a year and a half) had cheated on me. So this song was perfect. The first time I saw her in concert it was in a small venue packed with angry women who all knew the words to every song. I saw her in concert two more times, and my Alanis obsession was so extended that my friends would only ride in my car with the caveat that they would not have to listen to her.

Yesterdays: They help make us who we are.

Yearning: I'm glad I'm not given everything I desire for lots of reasons, one of which is that I often appreciate the things I've longed for more when I get them then when I get things easily.

Yards: I watch the kids at my apartment complex play in the parking lot, and I realize how blessed I was to grow up with a big yard that accommodated softball games, playhouses, trampolines, slip n' slides, and all of that fun stuff.

The young: I love how they help keep us young. On the first day of school when I taught I loved how their excitement and energy was contagious. And I'd doubt I would have played Red Rover or Chinese Freeze Tag (it's so much harder to crawl under people's legs now; and why is it called Chinese Freeze Tag?? Was it created in China?) the other day if it weren't for my nieces.

Yankees: There's one or two of you that seem alright:)

18 comments:

Aaron said...

That was interesting. I never would have thought of you as the angry-woman type. ;)

And Chinese Freeze Tag! How could such a beloved game of our youth be forgotten? Ok, you didn't forget it but it's one of those things that slip from your memory and you have to be reminded of. And who says we can't still play? I say we get a bunch of folks together and have a good game of Chinese Freeze Tag. DRUNK Chinese Freeze Tag. Yeah... I can imagine the possibilities.

GreenLineBoy said...

We used to call it Tunnel Tag. Which I think makes some sense.

Ally said...

Aaron: I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. I've always thought tipsy/drunk roller skating would be fun too. And I could go for sober Capture the Flag.

GLB: That certainly makes more sense than Chinese!

anne said...

I am a fan of the song Yellow Submarine.

What are you going to do after z?

Ryane said...

Yay!, yahtzee, Yakety-Yak, Yesterday, Yearning, youth, yellow tulips, yellow lemonade, years, yikes!, yes...

I love Y's too. Who knew all the letters could be so much fun?

Anonymous said...

Backyards are such wonderful thing in childhood. A house, with a backyward, on a street that was a cul de sac where all the kids would play baseball/basketball/etc on the cul de sac...even better. Thank you for bringing that memory back to me today.

Douglas said...

YooHOO! A great chocolate flavored drink.

Kids can play anywhere. They adapt.

Clearlykels said...

Oh, I love that first Alanis cd so much. I love songs that you can scream the lyrics to depending on your mood. What appropriate timing!

ha ha, lots of good "y" words.

Yowza! is underused!

Anonymous said...

Good list!!! I love trying to think of all the things with that letter. I've still got a long way to go on mine.

ReadItDaddy said...

"Yellow" by Coldplay :)

Peej
x

Accidentally Me said...

Am I a Yankee? I am pretty sure I am now, but I never knew whether or not Midwesterners could count as "Yankees" or not...

Trixie said...

Yankees (NY) for me. I love the team, even though i'm don't live in NY.

Yogurt, definitely.

"Yes" or "Yes, dear". :)

"yippee!".

megabrooke said...

love your list.

did you know that alanis song is about JOEY GLADSTONE?! whatever his real name is... dave.... couliet?! yeah, they dated. and apparently he cheated. alas, the angry song. who woulda thunk?!

happy saturday- i was wondering what happens after z too! you're almost donezo.

Ally said...

e.b.: After z I think I'll end each post with something I'm grateful for--my best friend Nicole and I always end our e-mails with a p.s. that tells what we appreciate, and I've seen another blogger (Jamy) who always ends with "Grateful for: X."

Brookem: I need to google that guy and figure out who he is. Oh well, at least he "inspired" a very good song!

Trixie: "Yes" is a good addition.

AM: I don't consider you a Yankee, but if I ever meet you and you're rude, I might change my mind:) I think of Yankees as being people from "up North" and not the midwest, but I'm not expert.

Peej: Agreed.

Maryanne: It's really neat to see the exchange of so many ideas on so many topics.

FC&F: It is a fun exercise of sorts. I'm glad you're doing it too.

Clearlykels: I've never used "yowza," so it's clearly underused!

Billy: Sure, they can, but a nice big yard is always going to be better than a parking lot where you're trying to avoid cars hitting you. I love chocolate drinks, btw, good call.

Ruby: Cul-de-sacs did make the best playing areas.

Ryane: It has been fun...you're really good at it too!

brandy said...

Comment 15? Dang. And can I just say, I agree with all the 'y' words listed, but I especially loved 'yellow' by coldplay. Good job with this! When I read the title I just thought 'yo-yo'. My own list would be very, very dull.... ;)

Ally said...

Brookem: I googled Joey Gladstone and can't believe he is the guy that cheated on her! For everyone else's reference, Joey Gladstone was the dorky male friend who lived with the Tanners on the show Full House--the one who made the funny voices, etc.

Anonymous said...

I remember playing that Alanis CD over and over and over so many times I would practically scream the lyrics them in my sleep.

B said...

I enjoy your writing style. thanks for visiting my blog

I loved red rover as a kid and doge ball you can could get a little rough with both of them I remember enjoying that lol:)