Coke is a good item to start with. I don't drink soft drinks very often as a rule, but when I do I drink Coca-Cola. There I sound like that guy on the Dos Equis commercials! I suppose that series of commercials could be described as classic by some people.
In the realm of music there's classical music, the genre, and classic music, with of course a lot of overlap between them. I enjoy pretty much anything by Mozart. His music is always fresh and full of life and light. Fortunately for us, the man wrote a whole lot of it.
There are a lot of songs and albums I can listen to over and over again. I could fill this entire posting with the titles. But one album in particular I never get tired of hearing is Dire Straits' untitled debut album issued in 1978. Their album Brothers in Arms is their best seller and I love that album too, but I have a soft spot especially for that first one. With songs like Down to the Waterline, Water of Love, Sultans of Swing, and Wild West End this album is a classic for me.
Regarding books, again there are many for me. But if I had to choose one, well, it'd actually be three. I'd choose the three Jesus of Nazareth books by Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI). The first in the series logically (though published last of the three) is subtitled The Infancy Narratives and deals with the birth of Jesus. The second book in the series (published first) deals with Jesus' life from his baptism in the Jordan to his Transfiguration. The third book is subtitled Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection.
Ratzinger is a born teacher and he lays out a lifetime of reading, studying, thinking about and - most importantly - personally encountering Jesus in an engaging and thought-provoking way for the lay reader. Ratzinger's deep love and respect for our Lord are evident on every page.
As with music, I could cram this posting full with titles of novels, stories and poems that I consider classics.
Every year around Christmas time I watch the film It's a Wonderful Life. It is surely my all time favorite movie. A lesser known movie that I have also watched countless times is Return to Me, starring David Duchovny and Minnie Driver with supporting roles played by Carroll O'Connor and Jim Belushi. In this film, Duchovny's character's wife dies in a car accident. She's an organ donor and her heart goes to a young woman in need of a new heart - Driver's character. These two main characters eventually meet, not aware of the connection they have, and . . . well, you need to watch the film.
My idea of a classic film star is Audrey Hepburn. I never get tired of her face in all its expressions. I wouldn't say that each of her films is a great work of art, but she brings a spark to the screen that few other actors can.
Other classics for me are the Peanuts comic strip and some of the TV specials, the Vince Guaraldi soundtracks on those Peanuts TV specials, the Green Bay Packer and New York Yankee uniforms and logos, certain steam locomotives and many other things. Such things as I've mentioned in this post add beauty and grace to our lives. These are the things that separate high civilization from barbarism.
Jan Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring
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