Appreciating the Little Things~

Appreciating the Little Things~

This evening I finished reading a book titled “A Rule Against Murder – A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel” by Louise Penny, and was struck by one of the characters who spent a great deal of time in an Adirondack chair on the shore of a lack practicing his sums. Since he was an accountant, the reader was no doubt meant to believe he was counting money in his head. But instead, he was counting his blessings. That caused me to reflect upon the little things that I truly appreciated this weekend. So – my sums:

·      A delicious on the bone Delmonico steak cut by the talented butcher at The Butcher Station –where local food rules;

·      A friendly conversation with a lady I met after a Friday evening wine tasting at D’Vine Wines; I mentioned the cool weather and she started questioning me about  who Winchester, Virginia as she was considering a move from Phoenix;

·      The amazing smell of our laundry since I’ve started sprinkling some drops of essential oil on the eco-friendly felted wool dryer balls we’re now using in lieu of commercial fabric softener;

·      Our first BLT of the summer with a home grown heirloom tomato;

·      My delight in sniffing the fur of indoor cats after sprinkling a drop of lavender oil in each of their heads;  :-D

·      Finding that Deborah Lippmann crème nail polish may actually be the solution to my brittle nails that resist polish; really? What happened to my previously strong, lovely fingernails that accented my well-manicured hands until they rebelled like angry teenagers a week after I turned 40?

·      Enjoying dinner at Donato’s Italian Restaurant with good friends and new faces;

·      Celebrating a week in July without needing the AC;

·      Meeting friends for an early breakfast at the Papermill Diner on Sunday morning;

·       A couple of hours with The New York Time – Sunday Edition;

·      An afternoon on the back porch with my book and a pride of lazy cats;

·      A telephone conversation with my brother;

·      A day without the television on;

·      Dinner consisting of sliced tomato, feta, Greek olives, and aged Balsamic vinegar from Modena.

·      The sounds of nature outside my bedroom window;

·      Appreciation for my loving husband who accepts me as I am;

·      Spending 90 minutes playing my out of tune piano and being swept away without concept of the time passing;

So, thank you to Louise Penny for reminding me through her curmudgeonly character to be grateful for my blessings & for life’s experiences.