1. Our troops. The United States military never ceases to impress me with their professionalism, dedication and courage. While everyone else is throwing verbal bombs at one another, they stay focused and above the fray. And their hard work is liberating people who never thought they'd exercise their individual right to freedom. I aspire to be more like them.
2. Women in politics. Increasingly there are more women involved in politics, from both sides of the red/blue divide. This is a good thing for America. Well over half of all household decisions are made by women, so it holds that women should have more say in public policy and legislation. Women are sometimes one another's most vicious critics -- we should all pledge to knock it off. We should encourage women to run and argue about policy differences on their merits. I expect to see many more women elected in 2010, including many GOP women.
3. My husband. Peter McMahon and I met on an airplane in late summer 1997. We fell in love, I moved to England and we settled in San Diego. Or so we thought. He didn't sign up to be a husband of a wife that would spend nearly 8 years in the administration, but he took it all in enthusiastically in stride. He kept the entire household safe and sound and continues to do so, including caring for our 11-year-old superdog, Henry. We spent 6 weeks together this year on a trip that included volunteering at an HIV/AIDS site, and I was a bit nervous about what it'd be like since we really hadn't been able to spend a big chuck of time together for years. But he's the same wonderfully funny and caring man I met 12 years ago and I'm so grateful to him for all he's done and continues to do for me.
4. Saturdays. I love Saturdays! I've rediscovered them this year, after all that time serving in the administration. I love sleeping in if I want to, reading two newspapers cover to cover, going on long walks, browsing at the mall. I even like running errands! Long live Saturdays!
5. Sleep. I knew I was sleep deprived when I was the White House Press Secretary when I became obsessed with how many hours I'd get to sleep, when I could get to sleep, the quality of that sleep, the things I needed before I could contemplate falling asleep. On and on. And now I regularly get 8 hours of sleep and the world looks a lot better!
Dana Perino is a Fox News contributor and former White House Press Secretary.
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