1. The darkened sky opens with summer rain
2. A check-in chat with my beloved gma
3. Fun and fabulous writing meeting
4. Reflecting on silence
5. And the koan, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”
6. Morning hugs around the house
7. Little summer joys to look forward to
8. When schedules work out better than I could’ve planned
9. Natalie Goldberg’s new book, Writing on Empty
10. New recipe creation, banana bread scones (no sugar, but delightfully sweet from the bananas)

With credit to Carol’s Helpers, I am inspired to make my own list:

1. Friendly medical professionals
2. Having so much of what we need and want at a moment’s notice
3. Family- ultimate helpers!
4. My writing group- helpers of joy, inspiration, encouragement, laughter,  feedback, and fun
5. Fan running in a hot room
6. People who grow, make, cultivate, pick, pack, ship, store, and sell food
7. Friends who are there for anything and everything
8. Cars, trucks, transportation
9. Music, audiobooks, podcasts, stories
10. Libraries! The ultimate helpers

1. Chats with my gma
2. Writing work
3. Friends who drive extra to see you
4. Family spring break time
5. My Monday morning group
6. Unexpected free time
7. Ideas that stick with you
8. Inspiration
9. Rolling shelves of billowy clouds
10. “Step with care and great tact. And remember that life’s a great balancing act.” – Dr. Seuss

1. This quiet corner of gratitude
2. My family
3. Fog rolling in, a layer between the ground and tops of trees
4. Hyacinths blooming
5. The simple joy of checking the mailbox
6. Hand-knit hats
7. Friends who check in
8. Having my arms and heart full of people to love
9. Quiet so deep I can hear the clock tick
10. “This is a wonderful day. I have never seen this one before.” -Maya Angelou

1. Opening WLG to see all the happy, grateful, vibrant posts
2. Getting to know a friend’s foster dog while he was with her
3. Watering all the plants before the wilting warning
4. Vit D- however we can get it in the cloudy shadow of the Great Lakes
5. Finding studies that guide decisions
6. Like-minded friends to chat with during long events
7. The right joke at the right time
8. Drawing together
9. Walks in the woods
10. Unexpected visit from a friend and her daughter
11. “Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.” -John Wooden

Grateful for Mary Ellen, who told me about WLG not working as expected. Thank you!

1. My writer’s group, which brings me endless joy, belonging, and support
2. A weekend of laughter and friends
3. Avoiding the worst of the windstorm
4. Thankfully only a few small things were blown around the yard
5. The 6′ jumps of the dog excited to see us after some time away
6. Inside jokes with my favorite people
7. Abundance in all directions
8. Inspiring people in the form of everyday folks
9. The detritus of play
10. Warmth

1. All the things I get to learn still on this big, glorious blue ball
2. A generous researcher passing on her extra books
3. Letting life be what it is
4. Movement, legs swinging, crunchy autumnal leaves
5. Friends who write better than my favorite authors, just by making a joke on the phone
6. Delightful surprise- neighbor knock
7. Slow productivity
8. Taking joy in little bits, wherever it shows up
9. Eye contact
10. May we all sometimes have a bit of kalopsia- the delusion that things are more beautiful than they are

1. Visit from an old friend- and slipping back into closeness like no time had passed
2. Mercurial light of the waning moon
3. The 20lbs of canine love that inspires midnight trips outside
4. Gifts- of shoes, clothes- secondhand delights me more than brand new
5. Meeting up with a new friend, the delight of learning her history, hearing her stories
6. Furry synthetic blended pullover that traps all the heat that the chilly autumn air threatens to whisk away
7. Fiery red leaves set in golden trees
8. Footsteps crunching through color
9. Frost on each blade of grass
10. Noticing

1. My gratitude practice, which sustains me
2. Breathing techniques & apps
3. A writing group full of writers I love
4. A long walk in the woods
5. The dog, who instigates walks
6. The way glaciers are like ice skates- melting ice at the point of pressure to make things glide
7. A morning slowly unfolded
8. The energy pulsing in two hands, ten fingers
9. Red ribbons snapping in the wind
10. Cars buzzing, airplanes whirring, trains rumbling- the soundtrack to a day’s rhythms