31 Beautiful Things, Day 2: Morning Cup of Coffee

Beautiful things come most often at unexpected times. Two friends in pajamas, waiting for our boys to be picked up for a field trip. The boys leave, and we realize we have two gifts that need to be used: coffee and time. We could be doing a dozen other things in 30 minutes; instead, we sit at the table, catching up on yesterday's events. October streams through the open window; the breeze is redolent of yesterday's rain—wet leaves and acorn caps.

When I was a little girl, my mother and our next-door-neighbor had coffee together nearly every morning in the kitchen. My mother would get out an ashtray for Pat Natti, and I'd play nearby while they talked—Mrs. Natti in her deep, raspy smoker's voice, my mother with her sympathetic "ummm-hmmms."

Morning cup of coffee with a friend: It was comforting then, and it is comforting now.

What's beautiful in your world today? Take a deep breath, and notice.