Relishing Day-to-Day Life

"To live is so startling it leaves little time
for anything else.
~Emily Dickinson

That's what I'm doing today—relishing. I live a very ordinary life, even more so than Amy Krouse Rosenthal, author of Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, a book I adore. This week I am relishing my daily life even more than usual, acutely aware of how precious each day is.

I love to do Three Beautiful Things posts every now and then, and here's the thing: it's always the simplest things that are so beautiful. Having a friend die makes everything stand out in full color, even on these gray, rainy days we've been having. This is what I do; this is who I am. These simple things have made up the bulk of the past 15 years, and I relish them with a grateful heart. Because really, you just never know.

Loading the dishwasher.

A little game-playing before breakfast.

A little sunshine after days and days of rain. (Yes, Donna, I have proof.)

Loads of laundry.

Chasing a cat off the piano.

Doing school.

Fixing lunch.

Hugging and kissing my little boy.

Connecting and reconnecting, by computer, phone, and cell.

Grocery shopping.


Even a messy room, evidence of a child who loves to play—and who has plenty of toys.

Here's the thing: you can look at any one of those things as an annoyance. What? More loads of laundry? "Kids, pick up the horrible mess in your rooms!" I hate grocery shopping!

Or you can choose to relish the day-to-day life. You pick.