Why Does “Your Favorite…” Have To Be Just One?

Sometimes when you are asked “What/Who is Your Favorite …?” you have a steady, solid answer.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Chocolate, of course. What is your favorite color? Mmmm… royal blue usually hits the spot for me.

But other questions are a lot more volatile.

Who is your favorite artist? Who is your favorite band or group? What’s your favorite movie?

Humans have prided themselves on their intellectual and cosmic growth. We have learned to appreciate individuality as well as companionship. Learning to accept life and all its gifts and delights.

How can one turn that cosmic oneness into an individual preference?

Aren’t you defying the laws of nature and abundance by choosing just one of anything?

Over the weekend I finished filling out my questionnaire from Storywatch. For those of you who didn’t know, my daughter-in-law gave me a gift from them: they send you one question a week for 52 weeks and after you answer and e-mail them back they compile them into a book. She bought one book for me and one for her family.

Some the questions had singular answers. What is your favorite drink? (chocolate milk.) Where were you when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon? (sitting in front of the TV watching it.)

Other questions were loaded. Do you have any regrets? (Who doesn’t?) What is your secret? (If I told you it wouldn’t be a secret anymore.)

I changed some of the questions to ones that were more important for my grandkids to know. How many brothers and sisters do you have? (three brothers.) What are some of the most amazing inventions you’ve seen in your lifetime? (computers going from room-size to fingernail-size.)

But the hardest questions were the obvious ones. Who is your favorite artist? What is your favorite movie?

This is where my experience as a writer comes in. I changed the text (Who are your favorite artists) and expanded on most questions: Do you prefer winter or summer? (one paragraph for each season with a reluctant admittance for preferring Autumn).

Can’t I ever follow the rules?

Can’t I ever give a simple answer?

The world really comes down to yes or no. You either do it or you don’t. You either go there or you don’t. You either eat lunch or skip lunch. There is no middle grey in the end (I kinda wanted to do it but wasn’t sure so I did nothing…)

But I don’t have ONE favorite artist. Or ONE favorite food. Or ONE favorite memory of times spent with my kids.

I want my kids to know I loved a whole lot of foods and places and musicians and movies and seasons. That I’m a polka dot fan one day and a plain Jane beige girl the next. And I can tell you why I love paintings and sculptures and smooth jazz and nature photography all 100%.

The purpose of this Monday Morning blog started out to be me asking you who your favorite artist is. In any field.

Now I’ve changed my question. And hope you answer.

Who are your favorite artists? Musicians? Foods?

It’s me asking. You can list as many as you wish. The sky’s the limit! (for me it has to be!)