Something unexpected that brings a smile or a moment of joy. Recently both my children thanked me for not raising them to be brats. Was seriously within a week! That brought me much joy!
Robin, LOL, that’s really sweet of them. Brats are only on the rise in an ever growing materialistic society at a rapider rate. I came to the US when I was 1.5yrs old, but I’m married to Ngoc who lived the first almost 25yrs in a 3rd world country. Stories of survivors of the Vietnam war from previous generations are still fresh in my mind. It’s safe to say that the average child in a 3rd world country is better behaved than the ones here in the US.
Unfortunately I do believe that!! I did raise them with faith although they have both have gone in a different direction it is still part of their core so that makes me happy! I was also not very much into my faith at their ages either.
Robin, this brings me up to my next point. I’m very familiar with the “Kids these days” line. Unfortunately, I’ve used it too, and it certainly won’t be my last time. Later on, often times, we old farts look at each other and realize that we’re no different from them. Go deeper, we may even be worse than them when we were at their age. I may be 32 years old chronologically, but there’s a part of me that feels older. I relate more naturally to older people than people within my age group.
Easy. It’s just the little things that come, unannounced,
on their own terms that make the greatest impact on this old heart and spirit that matters most to me. What are they? I can never say, they just arrive unannounced and do quite beautifully.
The first grateful moments of the earky morning day when opening the window blinds, stopping for a moment to let it all in what appears in front of me, the beautiful old garden, The scent of the freshness of the new day, the silence of the day just beginning, may be some birds already busy with unintentionally spreading joy thorugh tieir song, just for the joy of singing. Moments of care, of compassion, of companionship, of love, wherever these moments appear. With this, sometimes even just a flsash of a light shining then inside our, nevertheless intensely perceived wnd radiating to all around, offering joy and beauty to others, including self.
I recently had the opportunity to visit my 3 nieces and nephews in another state. One is 3, and 2 are 1 and a half. The joy I found when they would smile at me with no reservation, or want to sit on my lap, or just hearing their giggles of joy and laughter when we were playing or dancing. What a beautiful gift! These “little” moments are not little…
Connection. Of hearts. Of souls. They can be micro moments between strangers or deep conversations and acts of love between two or more. They can come as big surprises like yesterday when I responded to a large email chain about the loss of one of the women in the group. I received a handful of responses back that were different versions of “thank you for saying what I was feeling” and “that really touched me” … I felt so whole and happy for the connections made.
A warm, embracing hug from my husband holding me close.
A call or text from one of my daughters.
Birds calling after the rain stops.
Picking a perfectly ripe raspberry and eating it.
Waking up in the morning after a good night’s sleep and feeling fully rested.
Our crabby cat purring in my lap (a rare occurrence).
Pulling a fresh loaf of bread or pan of cookies out of the oven and filling the house with their aroma.
Walking through the big forested park near our home, or just around our neighborhood loop with neighbors nodding and smiling.
-My daily walk around the neighborhood- the time I spend enjoying the quiet solitude, observing my surroundings, and getting lost in my own thoughts.
-time spent with my partner just existing together. sometimes that means we’re out exploring someplace new, or checking out a new restaurant…other times it’s relaxing together at home on the couch
-time with my cats. I try to spend time with each of them individually every day. Cats are very routine oriented- it’s always the same cat by my side as I visit this site every morning.
…I’m sure there are more moments, but these are the ones that came to mind first.
Steph Curry, the first two paragraphs sound like me. And BTW, I’m well aware of rumors in free agency that your partner-in-crime, Klay Thompson, has interest in joining the Lakers as one of his prefered teams.
Lol, soundst like we’ve got an interesting friendly rivalry going on here. I remember your Warriors going against my Cavaliers all those years in the finals from 2015-2018 with you beating me 3-1. I came back from 3-1 down to win 3 straight for the title in 2016. Draymond Green kicked me in the groin and received a game 5 suspension leading to the Kevin Durant signing in the off-season. We met again in the 2023 western conference semifinals with me winning in 6 games through the dominance of my partner-in-crime, Anthony Davis. Next, the Denver Nuggets swept me and beat me again this year in a gentlemen sweep sending me to Cam Coon with you.
Lauryn, congratulations on your Mavs getting Klay Thompson. This makes you guys even scarier.
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4 weeks ago
Charlie T
The little moments of connection are
the thing that keeps me going.
Taking a moment and being real for
a minute.
Also, seeing something in nature that is
rare (for me) or out of the ordinary.
Like watching a coyote on the opposite
river bank, going about it’s morning business,
unaware of my presence.
Coyotes are very interesting to observe, especially when they are hunting rodents. So aware of a next meal, it causes them to momentarily be unaware of a human being watching silently.
This is a beautiul question. Ironincally, the things that matter most are all little. Right now, Jon is in the kitchen making pancakes, the sun is shining, the cats are running around and having an epic battle. I’m am lying on the couch in front of a big window with old episodes of “The Office” playing. This is a perfect morning. I wouldn’t change a thing.
What matters the very most to me is authentic, deep connections with someone. It could be a stranger on the bus for a few minutes, a child, a friend or family member.
The exchange could last ten seconds, ten minutes or ten hours. The length of time is irrelevant.
Last week a young student of mine, with whom I had been annoyed and not happy this year, spontaneously walked into my classroom and initiated a very real conversation with me. This interchange lasted 5 minutes only, but left me feeling totally uplifted and open in my attitude towards her. Really made my week, in fact.
Unexpected gifts when I am out in nature– a little speckled fawn feeding. a turtle crossing my path, the exquisite color of a flower…just a few moments from the past encourage me to notice my surroundings as I move into the day before me. Namaste, all.
This is an easy one to answer. Today is my birthday and the quote of the day fit perfectly. It was a “little ” thing that brightened my day. It mattered.
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Being outside in nature. To feel the weather, the seasons and myself
Barba, we have exactly that in Minnesota.
Something unexpected that brings a smile or a moment of joy. Recently both my children thanked me for not raising them to be brats. Was seriously within a week! That brought me much joy!
Robin, LOL, that’s really sweet of them. Brats are only on the rise in an ever growing materialistic society at a rapider rate. I came to the US when I was 1.5yrs old, but I’m married to Ngoc who lived the first almost 25yrs in a 3rd world country. Stories of survivors of the Vietnam war from previous generations are still fresh in my mind. It’s safe to say that the average child in a 3rd world country is better behaved than the ones here in the US.
Unfortunately I do believe that!! I did raise them with faith although they have both have gone in a different direction it is still part of their core so that makes me happy! I was also not very much into my faith at their ages either.
Robin, this brings me up to my next point. I’m very familiar with the “Kids these days” line. Unfortunately, I’ve used it too, and it certainly won’t be my last time. Later on, often times, we old farts look at each other and realize that we’re no different from them. Go deeper, we may even be worse than them when we were at their age. I may be 32 years old chronologically, but there’s a part of me that feels older. I relate more naturally to older people than people within my age group.
Easy. It’s just the little things that come, unannounced,
on their own terms that make the greatest impact on this old heart and spirit that matters most to me. What are they? I can never say, they just arrive unannounced and do quite beautifully.
Journaling, walking with my cat, moments on this site, painting.
The first grateful moments of the earky morning day when opening the window blinds, stopping for a moment to let it all in what appears in front of me, the beautiful old garden, The scent of the freshness of the new day, the silence of the day just beginning, may be some birds already busy with unintentionally spreading joy thorugh tieir song, just for the joy of singing. Moments of care, of compassion, of companionship, of love, wherever these moments appear. With this, sometimes even just a flsash of a light shining then inside our, nevertheless intensely perceived wnd radiating to all around, offering joy and beauty to others, including self.
I recently had the opportunity to visit my 3 nieces and nephews in another state. One is 3, and 2 are 1 and a half. The joy I found when they would smile at me with no reservation, or want to sit on my lap, or just hearing their giggles of joy and laughter when we were playing or dancing. What a beautiful gift! These “little” moments are not little…
Connection. Of hearts. Of souls. They can be micro moments between strangers or deep conversations and acts of love between two or more. They can come as big surprises like yesterday when I responded to a large email chain about the loss of one of the women in the group. I received a handful of responses back that were different versions of “thank you for saying what I was feeling” and “that really touched me” … I felt so whole and happy for the connections made.
A warm, embracing hug from my husband holding me close.
A call or text from one of my daughters.
Birds calling after the rain stops.
Picking a perfectly ripe raspberry and eating it.
Waking up in the morning after a good night’s sleep and feeling fully rested.
Our crabby cat purring in my lap (a rare occurrence).
Pulling a fresh loaf of bread or pan of cookies out of the oven and filling the house with their aroma.
Walking through the big forested park near our home, or just around our neighborhood loop with neighbors nodding and smiling.
This question reminds me of a collection of poems about everyday things I rounded up a while back: https://biketoworkbarb.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-quotidian-poems-celebrating.html.
-My daily walk around the neighborhood- the time I spend enjoying the quiet solitude, observing my surroundings, and getting lost in my own thoughts.
-time spent with my partner just existing together. sometimes that means we’re out exploring someplace new, or checking out a new restaurant…other times it’s relaxing together at home on the couch
-time with my cats. I try to spend time with each of them individually every day. Cats are very routine oriented- it’s always the same cat by my side as I visit this site every morning.
…I’m sure there are more moments, but these are the ones that came to mind first.
Steph Curry, the first two paragraphs sound like me. And BTW, I’m well aware of rumors in free agency that your partner-in-crime, Klay Thompson, has interest in joining the Lakers as one of his prefered teams.
Awww yes it’s a sad day for Golden State…Lakers or Mavs… either way, he’s likely staying in the west…with the Mavs, I hope 😅 .
Lol, soundst like we’ve got an interesting friendly rivalry going on here. I remember your Warriors going against my Cavaliers all those years in the finals from 2015-2018 with you beating me 3-1. I came back from 3-1 down to win 3 straight for the title in 2016. Draymond Green kicked me in the groin and received a game 5 suspension leading to the Kevin Durant signing in the off-season. We met again in the 2023 western conference semifinals with me winning in 6 games through the dominance of my partner-in-crime, Anthony Davis. Next, the Denver Nuggets swept me and beat me again this year in a gentlemen sweep sending me to Cam Coon with you.
Lauryn, congratulations on your Mavs getting Klay Thompson. This makes you guys even scarier.
The little moments of connection are
the thing that keeps me going.
Taking a moment and being real for
a minute.
Also, seeing something in nature that is
rare (for me) or out of the ordinary.
Like watching a coyote on the opposite
river bank, going about it’s morning business,
unaware of my presence.
Coyotes are very interesting to observe, especially when they are hunting rodents. So aware of a next meal, it causes them to momentarily be unaware of a human being watching silently.
This is a beautiul question. Ironincally, the things that matter most are all little. Right now, Jon is in the kitchen making pancakes, the sun is shining, the cats are running around and having an epic battle. I’m am lying on the couch in front of a big window with old episodes of “The Office” playing. This is a perfect morning. I wouldn’t change a thing.
What matters the very most to me is authentic, deep connections with someone. It could be a stranger on the bus for a few minutes, a child, a friend or family member.
The exchange could last ten seconds, ten minutes or ten hours. The length of time is irrelevant.
Last week a young student of mine, with whom I had been annoyed and not happy this year, spontaneously walked into my classroom and initiated a very real conversation with me. This interchange lasted 5 minutes only, but left me feeling totally uplifted and open in my attitude towards her. Really made my week, in fact.
Maeve, we went to the exact same place with this question. Another connection!
Quality time with Ngoc are moments that matter most to me. She’s the one who understands me the best.
Unexpected gifts when I am out in nature– a little speckled fawn feeding. a turtle crossing my path, the exquisite color of a flower…just a few moments from the past encourage me to notice my surroundings as I move into the day before me. Namaste, all.
This is an easy one to answer. Today is my birthday and the quote of the day fit perfectly. It was a “little ” thing that brightened my day. It mattered.
Happy belated birthday Yram! I hope you had a wonderful day!
Here’s to a good trip around the sun, Yram.
Happy belated birthday Yram.
Me too hoping you had a beautiful birthday! Wishing all the best for you.
Hope you have had a good day Yram!
Happy Birthday Yram!
Happy Birthday, dear Yram. We we were both born under the sign of Cancer!
Happy birthdayweekmonth! (I always say no reason to stop celebrating after 24 hours)
Happy birthday, Yram! 🥳