Not sure when the lady beetle hopped on board, but I was happy to have its company on this gorgeous spring afternoon. It’s been a very difficult week and I welcome any overture of friendship.
It’s the little things that make happy moments, not the grand events.
Joy comes in sips, not gulps.
~ Sharon Draper
This morning I pulled some manuscript/project boxes out of the closet to see if there’s anything in there worth salvaging for my next writing endeavor. (My little writer brain has to have something to noodle on, so while I await my critique group’s feedback on my work-in-progress, I’ve started thinking about what comes next). Well, those boxes proved irresistible to the cats.
Marcel claiming his literary territory
Later this afternoon, Emma and I went out on the trails. Although it was warm enough for me to wear shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, there were still a few patches of snow along the way. We stopped running so that Emma could do her thing.
I laughed as she scooped snow with her snout and dug holes with her paws and slid down the slope on her tummy.
Emma + snow = happiness
We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children
that makes the heart too big for the body.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
. . . a good sneeze.
. . . Coreopsis blooming.
. . . hoop dancing to Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady.”
. . . watching my sons find their way.
. . . the versatility of the word “fuck.”
. . . checking an item off a to-do list.
. . . singing along with the radio.
. . . cherries in season.
. . . a Red-tailed Hawk floating on an air current.
. . . realizing a revised chapter is much better than before.
. . . yelling “Steve Holt!”
. . . wrestling with a dog.
. . . peeing after holding it too long.
. . . not caring what anyone else thinks.
. . . popcorn and beer.
. . . a no-look basketball pass.
. . . napping on a rainy afternoon.
. . . napping on a snowy afternoon.
. . . reading on a rainy or snowy afternoon.
. . . never feeling guilty about napping or reading.
. . . a cat on the lap.
. . . a Western Meadowlark’s song.
. . . running hard and feeling strong.
. . . clean sheets.
. . . never, ever having to change another poopy diaper.
. . . hearing a tantrum in a restaurant and knowing it ain’t my responsibility.
. . . laughing ’til you cry.
. . . painted toenails.
. . . coffee in bed.
. . . changing out of boots after a long hike.
One little piece of happiness for every day in June.
So here’s something from 2014 that I feel good about: I finally went ahead and made some changes to our bathroom. For years I’ve wanted to get rid of the white plastic tub surround that was installed poorly and, therefore, buckled and pulled away from the wall along the top of the tub. It was impossible to keep clean and I couldn’t take baths because it’s difficult to relax when everything at eye level = YUCK. (When showering, I was actually grateful for my poor vision because then I could kinda, sorta pretend the bathroom looked all right.)
I knew I wanted something new but couldn’t decide what that something new would be, and decisions are not my friends. At least, decisions didn’t used to be my friends. We’re still not BFFs, but we’re doing better. Once I put in the call to the general contractor a friend had recommended waaay back in May, I made decisions Bing-Bang-Boom. Tile? Got it. Accent tile? Found it. New vanity top and sink? Check. Paint? Check again. Window treatment? Okay, that took a couple tries but not for lack of decision-making, but because of dimensions. Shower curtain? Done.
My bathroom went from feeling cold and dreary to being one of my favorite places in the house. In fact, I’m sitting on the edge of the tub right now.
Today is one of my favorite days of the year: the winter solstice. Tomorrow we’ll have only a few seconds more of daylight, but knowing each coming day will be a tiny bit longer and a tiny bit brighter makes me very happy. I can cope now that the light’s on my side.
HAPPY SOLSTICE, EVERYONE!
Image courtesy of MorgueFile.com
“Do not waste yourself in rejection;
do not bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
© Tracy Abell 2011
. . . a belly rub.
Tracy Abell 