Mid-Year (7/12ths) 'Best of' list

Everyone does an End-Of-The Year-Best list in their particular expertise. I read them all in December. The NYT best books were intellectual and grim, even the ones they considered 'beach reads' - must be the beach where Jaws was filmed; I checked out Netflix best movies, NPR best music (I lasted 12 minutes listening to their choices), Time Person/Thing of the Year. Each institution cast their net wide and deep.

For those of us who do not have expertise and are neither wide nor deep, but do have opinions, it makes sense to have a more modest Middle-Of-The-Year (or more accurately 7/12ths)-Best. This is not Best in Show but one of the homier, idiosyncratic categories like Best I Can Remember or Not-Best-But Pretty-Good or Best On My Block, or even the dreaded Most Improved.

Many ‘bests’ or 'best this minute' shouldn’t have to wait for the end of the year. I’m here to remedy the error.

I admit, this is not the list I would have written in my 40s, but those days belong to a previous century. Here is my Best Of 7/12th of 2026. It is still 2026? We haven't renamed it 2022 or anything, have we?

1.    Hot showers – really hot for as long as I want it and where the water doesn’t run tepid after a few minutes.

2.    The first cup of morning tea or coffee – a perfect moment. I like PJ Tips with fake milk but I’ll try any tea you suggest to me. I'm flexible.

3.    Beating the young people at Wordle. This is petty of me, I admit, but I get a rush of pleasure each time I figure the word in fewer guesses than my young counterparts (even though I forget the word within seconds of completing the puzzle).

4.    The days where long walks feel invigorating, not exhausting, and my body is working as if I am young...hmmm, younger.

5.    Laughing with friends – this would have gone on all my lists over the years. In happy times, during grief, just for no reason at all, play is good.

6.    Manufacturing ‘signature drinks’ for any and all occasions, even though I hardly drink. No matter; it is in the concocting, not imbibing, and all the decorative elements, i.e. a rim of pop rocks (you can still get them at World Market), paper umbrellas, surprising ice cubes, great colors. Without the alcohol, it might be considered childish, but with vodka and a splash of triple sec, it is creative, even sophisticated.

I will pause here. Now, we can proceed to the second half of the year. If you are so inclined, please send your list for the first half 7/12ths of 2026 and I will post them. Please do.