My Favorite Things by Jaclyn DiBona

[Picture of Mona and Jaclyn as they met for the first time in August 2010 in Massachussetts]

This month has been tough.

Fretting and fuming to get my book published, along comes mother nature,
to show me whose boss,
Between eye doctors, and new glasses,
New hearing aids, at the tune of $3, 300.

Finding out I have spinal stenosis was bad enough,
Having to get shots in the spine didn’t sit well with me at all.

When my young doctor asked me if it was painful to move,
I was happy to see him gape in awe as he shook his head,
when I bent over and touched my toes.

Gleeful, I was on a roll, bending backwards, and forward, and threw in
a couple of twists for good measure to answer his question.

He frowned in disbelief, rechecked the ex-rays , and shook his head,
Much to my dismay, I still got the 3 shots in the spine.

I complained to my girlfriend that I was too young to have all these problems.
She gave me no sympathy, and told me that it was nothing at all,
and she sang to me this song.

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things..

Cadillacs and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache,
when the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

'My Favorite Things' about Aging By Julie Andrews

To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music." However, the lyrics of the song were deliberately changed for the entertainment of her "blue hair" audience.

I may not be 69, but I still laugh whenever I hear the melody to this song. While visiting my cousins in the Vosges in France, I looked out my bedroom window, seeing the mountains I’d swear I heard Julie Andrews singing this song.

POSTED BY: Jaclyn Di Bona