This week, I tried to jot some things down. I think I might be missing some of the little things, the precious things, the everyday things.  All the things that slip right by me making me happy. Thursday, on my drive to volunteering, a smile popped into my brain.  I love writing for the Marengo Union Times and the McHenry Chronicle.  I get to write, learn new things, and meet a slew of interesting people.  This is a job that fits the me I love to be.

The role of a writer is to build the reader up, not to tea them down. – E. B. White‘

• Warm weather and songbirds singing through open windows.  I love the sound of the wind rippling through the tree, lawnmowers in the distance, mixed in with cardinals singing and blue jays keep the peace.
• Children laughing, and fighting; shouting encouragement, and whooping for joy as they play kickball next door.
• “On Being” a Sunday morning NPR program with Krista Tippett.  This week she introduced me to the creator of BrainPickings.org.  I think I met another best friend through the airways.
• 20 new agents to query, one more rejection.  I’m that much closer to finding the right fit.  Like dating, I tell myself.  Not everyone is right for me.
• Electric edgers. I love the way the edge of the sidewalk, the curb, and the flowerbeds make the grass stand at attention.  “That’s far enough,” They seem to say.  “End of my territory.” (Perhaps that’s actually my message to the grass.)
• A change in diet.  I no longer need to take in 50% protein.  Now it’s 25% protein, 50% carbohydrates, and 30% fat. Yay for a little bread and butter.  Did someone say carrots and peas?  Maybe a baked potato.
• A writers’ conference within driving distance, with a discount for community members.  It’s not booked and neither am I.
• Rhubarb and Hilda’s Rhubarb crunch.  Enough to make and enough to share.  Nothing says summer is her than an over abundance of rhubarb.
• Running into people I known for a couple of years and yet never met.  Oh my! A face to match the voice.  So good to meet you Jenny!
• New ideas that get me pumped.  That’s all I’m saying right now.  You may just see some changes.
• Tiny ballerinas in not so perfect formation.  I love dance, anyways, but there’s something special about beginners doing their best.  And especially special if one of the dancers is Miss G.
• Spell-check and good glasses.  I worked from my iPad and the WordPress app yesterday.  I couldn’t find some key features, and my old eyes misses many mistakes.  And what happened to my title, drat it all?! Apologies all around, dear readers.

I love starting the week with a little gratitude.  It’s like the way the air smells after a thunderstorm: Filled with possibilities and freshness, and charged with electricity.  If you want to see more gratitude lists, join Laurel Reagan over at Alphabet Salad.  She’s the blogger who got me sharing.