What I Won't and Will Miss

I don't know why it takes losing someone to fully appreciate them, but that is how I feel today about Nora Ephron. Sure, I knew all about her movies and could recite almost every line. But I wish I had known Nora Ephron the person, and I definitely wish I had met her as a fellow journalist for decades. Her list of "What I Won't and Will Miss" is so good, I think everyone should try that out. Here is mine.

What I Won't Miss

Losing loved ones
Monday morning
Poison ivy
Republican vs. Democrat
Gridlock traffic
TV commercials
Shoveling late-winter snow
Going up a waist size
Gossip
Running up hills
Money
Shaving
One-second attention span of social media
Overuse injuries
Book rejections
Poverty and hungry children
George Washington Bridge $12 toll highway robbery
Opening and closing our pool
Cancer everywhere
Tip jars
The color pink, with apologies to those who love it
Pro athletes who are jerks
Standing in line
Starbucks coffee
Tucking my shirt in
That magical way your hair disappears
College tuition costs and the whole system
Cramped flights and middle seats
Flossing
No retweets, Likes or comments
Pettiness
Racists and bad people in general
Weeds

What I Will Miss

Our kids
Lismo
Running around Central Park
Rainbows
My English Bulldog King Bingley
Stargazing
The first snow
Cold beer
Upper West Side
Summer
Oatmeal with berries
Baseball
Sardines
England pubs
Finishing marathons
My house
Our pool on the hottest days
Honesty
The common fight to end cancer
How it feels to help someone
Reading a great book
Tinkering on my workbench
Classic movies
Running friends as we support each other
Believing in yourself
New shoes
The smell of freshly cut grass
Making love
The Beatles
Indiana Hoosiers basketball
Red wine
"Free Bird"
An ocean with my toes in the surf
Mom
Cape Cod
Learning new things
Living on Earth