a day for gratitude, for the small things

I could start this off in the usual way, with something like "just a normal day, nothing much going on, but I'm going to write anyway..."

Not much in the mood for that, I guess. There was nothing wrong with today, and everything right with it, but there was nothing of great import or weighty significance to it. It was simply a day, but not simply like any other.

I did the small, mundane things. I cleaned up, I went grocery shopping, chatted with family, talked with a friend. I made some plans, and also left a good bit unplanned.

What happened was I enjoyed the small joys. There was a blue sky for most of the day, the feeling of summer in the air when I went out, the sweetness of ripe watermelon and the refreshing tartness of not-quite-ripe cherries. There was envigorating music and pensive silence. I felt the satisfaction of throwing away papers I didn't need and a quiet joy when I discovered that reading in a new language was a little easier than it had been.

In short, I rejoiced in my life today. And it was good.