Why so lovely? Or the weekend where a seed began to grow.

It has been a cool spring, and by cool, I mean cold, really. And when you easily tire of winter and actually enjoy working up a sweat by just laying in a hammock, a cold spring seems like a cruel trick. So was it any surprise when on Friday, I felt nothing but anger when I spotted snowflakes in the air?

But then Saturday came, and while it was still chilly, I could push that annoyance from my mind because I had a number of tasks at hand. First, to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for a lunch to be shared with a friend. Then, of course, there would be the cooking and the cleaning up. Also in the back of my mind was the need to get ready for a story-time reading that afternoon. (This new haircut is a bit more demanding, but thems the pains of growing out hair.)

And then our friend Blake arrived, and we caught up over corn chowder and fresh salsa and chips and pecan pie bars. Between the time when Blake left to man his booth at our local book festival and the time when I would need to leave to visit the same festival, I was struck by how lovely my life was. I had interesting friends, ate fresh, good food on a regular basis, and was about to share some stories with area toddlers and preschoolers.

Over the course of the weekend, I went on to read a very interesting cookbook, Dinner: A Love Story. This book, by Jenny Rosenstrach, is not a typical cookbook. It gives the story of Rosenstrach's family's loving relationship with dinner. I have long felt much joy from thinking about and reading about and of course, eating food, but until reading this book, I hadn't much given any thought to why that was. What is it about food that makes me subscribe to so many food magazines? That makes me ask others what they had to eat on a special occasion? That causes it to occupy many thoughts throughout the day? Many.

The simple answer is that it brings me joy. The same way an hour reading brings me joy. Or a quality television show, or a deliciously juicy television show. These are the things that make life lovely for me. But too often, I get bogged down in the work of life, rather than the lovely. And so, I thought, what if I made a conscious effort to concentrate on the lovely in everyday situations? How would that change my life and relationships?

I'm not sure if I have the follow-through to make this happen. (You would not believe the amount of great ideas I have that go absolutely nowhere.) But I do think it is worth a try.

Joy is quite easily found on that hammock,
especially when the grass is green.

A LOVELY MOMENT FROM TODAY: My younger daughter says, "I think I have some sugar for you." Me: "Where's this sugar?" Her: "It's a hug and it's in my pocket....Mwa! I love you."