Saturday, May 14, 2011

Very Good Things

I have decided in this post to make a list of the very good things that have possibly been overshadowed by clouds and this terribly schlucky weather.  We've been waking up hearing very repetitive predictions for the forecast.  At first it was straightforward, and now I can tell they're trying to make something varied.  Last week they said, "You're going to want to carry an umbrella in your hand all day today."  I admired the creativity, but I did not like the cloud coverage again. 

In happier news, the tree outside my desk window has bloomed, and I've been attentive enough to really see it this year.   A good desk near a window is one of my favorite things.  I would do well to not forget that as my life continues because the times I lived most inspired have been when I have shoved the desk to the window.  I would never do this if I lived on the ground level, but I have the luxury of a 3rd floor existence right now.   



So, the good things.  I'm taking this from a book I own called 14,000 Things to Be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer.  It's written in list form, and last summer I took the time to read all 14,000 things and underline the ones that are true of my life.  Here's what I am celebrating today.

  • absolute revelations
  • neither scurrying nor haste at an early hour
  • picture-book villages
  • knowing where all your books are
  • coffee 'with socks on' (with cream)
  • the day you met your best friend
  • reverie and conversation
  • maiden names
  • keeping a secret
  • someone calling and inviting you to lunch
  • taking a bowl of berries and yogurt out to the patio
  • milk money
  • men's ties
  • a baby grand piano in the front parlor
  • being kinder than necessary
  • the nickname "Peaches"
  • realizing your child is a good reader
  • joys and vicissitudes
  • just a moment
  • springtime in the Rockies
  • the icy diamond powdering of stars
  • wild blueberries blanketing coastal Maine
  • birthday banners
  • listening to someone describe something that makes them happy
  • locking little fingers
  • a silent wish you make
  • living within your income
  • egg salad sandwiches
  • grown ups with kids' imaginations
  • isolated country estate atmosphere
  • lots of books, a good bed lamp, vases of flowers in the room
  • standing up straighter
  • a book wall
  • babies eating Cheerios
  • your first bicycle
  • 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' (which in my family was somehow always 'Scissors, Paper, Rock')
  • Crayolas plus imagination
  • northern lights
  • when your ship comes in
  • always accepting an outstretched hand
  • a good dentist
  • in-a-nutshell reports
  • post offices
  • today
  • your signature
  • places heavy with history
  • a room with a view
  • docks
  • a single flower meaning more than a dozen
  • courage and conviction
  • white and pink
  • someone calling to check on you when you're sick
  • having your coffee in the park
  • accompaniment
  • the wild blue yonder
  • a riot of colors
  • the wonder of the circulatory system
  • taking advantage of all of the opportunities to keep your mouth shut
  • your first room at college
  • purple pansies
  • hill climbing
  • half birthdays
  • tastefulness
  • the shining of old things



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