as some of you may know, this isn’t my only blog. i keep another blog called oh simple things on which i sometimes take the time to list the things–whether large or small–that rock my world. well, to be honest, they don’t always rock my world. but they make me smile. or they brighten my day. or they help me get through the week.

and on some days, just getting through the week is even better than having something rock your world.

i am not very consistent in recording those simple things, but i do notice them. i notice them because, no matter how crazy busy my life is, i try to make it a point to look for them. it’s a little trick i learned from my husband. while everyone else is spinning around this swiftly tilting planet, he’s still a stop-and-smell-the-roses and check-out-that-great-sunset kind of guy.

most importantly, i appreciate them. i get excited about little things. they make me laugh, warm my heart, and brighten my day.

here are some of the latest on my list:

the absolutely brilliant orange, yellow, gold and red against the clear blue sky.
i love the stormy clouds and rain, but i have to admit this has been one of the most beautiful and comfortable falls i can remember. and even though my october flew past and left me spinning in its dust–the fall has lingered and i have enjoyed almost every minute of it.

the playful antics of the kit-cats that adopted us.
i know i’ve said this before, but we are not cat people. so i’m amused by the almost-irony in the simple pleasure i find in the deep black of mowgli’s fur (that i cannot touch because it will send me sneezing). and the way tigger–and the whole lot of them really, tigger is just the most obvious–shamelessly stops whatever he’s doing when i walk by and runs in front of me and rolls on his back trying to look irresistible. and even though it’s annoying–especially as i’m trying to get out the door for work–i’m still amused at how capone manages to sneak in the doorway between my feet. the other day i watched as mowgli patiently waited under our tree ready to pounce on each leaf as it fell. cats are curious creatures, even if one is allergic to them.

the little things.
simple kindnesses like a co-worker who always gets the door for me. the morning gym guy who tells me to have a nice day as i walk out (i know he says that to everybody, but remember how afraid i was of going to that gym?). the way my 10-year-old who wants to protect me from seeing the gory picture of my friend’s husband’s hand that got stuck in the sander at work. or when shane went to pick up dinner at five guys saturday night just because that’s what i wanted.

smiles

hugs

puns

laughter

kids and teenagers

old ladies

friends

the thrill factor of a bunch of webelos being turned loose in the byu earth science museum

fulfilling a childhood dream of chipping away jurassic rock from a genuine apatosaurus fossil

penny lane

homemade curry and a good jasmine rice purchased from the nice lady at the asian market on 3rd south

seeing the goodness in my children manifest itself in various and sundry but often simple ways

resistance

breath

beat

the way my worries (usually) drift away when sleep comes

six almost-speckled brown eggs

the opportunity to share

the ability to keep trying to get things right

prayer

pajamas

dawn

what simple things either rock your world or at least help get you through the day?