Hello Gentle Readers. The second week in July, when the euphoria of our in-person visit with family had faded and the news of world felt oppressive, I set an intention to find one "delight" each day. By delight, I mean some simple pleasure, a moment that stopped all the background noise in favor of being. Today I am framing the TGIF prompt around this intention. I keep a list in my journal. By design I don't have many photos but I do have two.
Thinking how this simple intention has brightened my days. Of course it doesn't hurt that Kamala Harris is most likely the 2024 Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Even before that occurred, I noticed a shift in my outlook and ordinary days. As I walked this morning, I wondered what delight I might encounter today.
July 13 - A sparrow caught in morning light changes ordinary beiges and browns into beauty. A white patch contrasts with brilliant rust wing.
Grateful, more than grateful, for the safety of my air conditioned home. The intense heat was broken by a storm with 80 mph winds on Wednesday evening. Many lost power but we did not. We also did not have any extensive tree damage.
July 16 - On this hot evening, the setting sun is framed by streaks of pink light in the western sky.
Inspired by the neighbors helping each other with the clean-up. Next door half of a large ash landed on a parked car. Many helped to chop off enough foliage and branches so several men could lift the limb off the car.
July 22 - Finding one perfect daisy in the otherwise spent flower bed of a neighbor. She has a large glorious bed that begins blooming in early Spring. Now, stalks are all that remain of iris, columbine, and lilies except for one small fresh daisy.
Fun. The more I notice, then more I notice. Many of my entries recall a sensory experience and a good number of them are visual. The continuing part of this intention is to use all five senses more frequently.
July 19 - The smell of chopped fresh parsley. It smells of the soil and the earth. When I unwrap it next winter and slice off a portion to season soup I'll smell the green of summer.
Wishing you a peaceful weekend in a comfortable summer place.
You are very lucky to have kept your power and not had any damage from those high winds! And I too would have been inspired by seeing neighbors helping one another after.
ReplyDeleteAt some point in the early days of the pandemic, I made a point of going out of my way to notice the beauty in the world around me. I don't necessarily document it, but I've kept up the practice of noticing. Yesterday, while on a very hot and humid run, I was treated to a glimpse of a goldfinch (rather rare around here) and a black swallowtail butterfly. These glimpses feel like such a lovely gift from the universe!
Thank you so very much for sharing your intention and your delights. I am going to try and adopt this practice as well, or at least your attitude. I have been whining far too much about how hot, humid, and rainless we have been, but on the plus side, I haven't had to mow for four weeks. Even if my kitchen is too hot to cook in, I can sit in an air-conditioned room and knit. And nothing tastes as good as a tomato sandwich in August. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI also should take a leaf out of your book and look for ‘delights’ instead of whinging about something I have no control over.
ReplyDeleteThe single daisy reason does shine doesn’t it. The yellow centre draws attention to the beautiful clean white look of the petals. A lovely find. Hopefully your neighbour will be able to salvage her plants after your long hot summer.
I am with you on finding small delights... It is lovely how they seem to build upon each other! Before I know it, I have a plethora of delights and that is a very good thing!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am so very excited about the excitement for Kamala!
Gratitude and looking for the simply goodness every day is an excellent practice. I am also very pleased that President Biden passed the torch to Kamala.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea to write your delights. I think about mine, but writing them down will make them more meaningful. Can't wait to see your knitting progress this week.
ReplyDeleteI keep a gratitude journal in the mornings and write what I am grateful for and WHY. It has made a big difference in the kind of day I have. There's always something to be grateful for!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful practice, Jane. Thanks for sharing some of your daily delights! XO
ReplyDeleteI love your daily delight practice! "The more I notice, the more I notice." yes! it makes so much sense that once we attune our senses to finding delight, we'll find more of it. Reminds me of how I had to practice hope (like training a muscle) one year when it was my OLW ...
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