Joy in little things

Is your heart light? What ideas or experiences help you return to that feeling? Thursday morning i was pleasantly surprised by little things that helped me think of great things. I walked with a friend i see about once a week on a common commuting schedule to a local coffee shop. I was able to admire the pastry case selections without choosing (needing or wanting) a single one. Victory! Then as we walked to the bus stop on the corner, I found eleven cents. A shiny penny heads-up and a dime to go with it in the give-away jar! Fantastic! When i arrived at work, a coworker announced she had made a blueberry-blackberry buttermilk cake to share. Yum!

Friendship, Self-Control, Helping Others, and Sheer Gratitude all combined for a BRIGHT day.

All in a Day!

Today I took a "vacation" day to do some things at home. It was so nice to sleep till sunrise, lounge with my cat, and finish reading a book! I made and sampled a pan of brownies, surfed a store's website for deals on "essentials" (and chose not to buy yet), and processed a couple loads of laundry. My big event of the day, however, was attending a volunteer instructors' planning meeting over dinner. Someone else paid for dinner, and we worked as a team to establish a training schedule for local and regional basic disaster preparedness classes. I am very excited to be on the schedule as a co-teacher for this round of sessions this fall. I will also be attending a two-day class next week! I explained to the team member driving home that I feel renewed purpose and excitement, like i have a new way to use my formal education as a "teacher" -- it's been a while since i worked with really young students and while i love them dearly, i find greater confidence and comfort in "community education" than i did in the public schools. I enjoy a quieter day job in an academic library these days, and then gain additional experience and excitement through volunteerism. I feel so blessed to be able to help and to belong to a diverse, gifted group of caring individuals.