Isn’t it cool how nature perpetually offers up goodnesses just by the by? And pretty much all day, every day, rain or shine, come what may. Like the postal person, but better.
On a dusk run, walking the bridge that connects one bank of the Charles River to the other, I was unexpectedly moved by the number of people who were pausing—some with iPhone cameras, some not, some solo, some not—to take in the sunsetting glow-filled sky.
A walk with a friend and a dog – we all know how high on my love list the walk and talk sits – and the simple and deep delight of a dog dipping into a body of water.
A whole stretch of concrete path splattered with heart-shaped leaves.
Water. Plants. Sun. Views. All gratis. All generous. Anne Lamott has a book titled “Help Wow Thanks” in which she describes these three words as different kinds of prayers. I loved this book, but prayer isn’t exactly what it felt like I was doing when I stopped, noticed, and said, “Hey, nature, thanks a ton.”
When we take the time to appreciate and enjoy, it can be a creative and constructive act. Sort of like manifestation, but not exactly. The following line from a daily astrology reading (my 16-year-old son thinks astrology is a bunch of “witchy woo woo” and looks at me with a serious side-eye whenever the topic comes up, but, no matter): “By making art of even the most ordinary moments of your life, you affirm that delight is always accessible.” When you delight in something, you create the delightful, and it becomes something you and others can access. Walking around delighting in what nature offers up populates our inner and outer worlds with more delight. And it doesn’t cost a thing. So I hope you’ll get out there, friends, and delight away. Consider it your everyday community service.
❤️ Jill