• Red car with flower. 
• Sheets of rain pouring down and then stopping and then pouring down again. 
• Long talks and thunderstorms.

• Change. Sure does keep life interesting! 
• Finding change. You know — coins. I find them all the time. I used to mostly find pennies, but lately I’ve been finding dimes and quarters. I’m going to go ahead and believe that signifies something positive. 
• The unexpected weirdness of my schedule. I’ve been grocery shopping after 11 pm so many times the past few months. Didn’t that used to be bedtime??

• The chance to teach drop-in classes at HUGE yesterday. What a terrific group of people! You guys were amazing. I love it! 
• Not only getting the fun of teaching the class, but getting to see some really great scenes and meet some lovely new people! The cherry on top — getting some really wonderful feedback about the class. Win-win-win-win. 
• The joy of a day that includes teaching a class and taking a class — and then excellent social time after class with these gorgeous people. Excellent day.

I appreciate these people and things:

• Books that make me laugh out loud. 
• Katie, for indulging me and letting me read passages from said books to her, thereby doubling my laugh-out-louding. 
• Laugh-out-louding, laugh-out-louded, maybe even laugh-out-louder. Although I don’t know if that last one is an adjective describing something truly hilarious, or a noun. It’s probably a noun. I am definitely a laugh-out-louder. 
• Sara, for her excellent use of colons and exclamation points, among other things. (See how I changed my usual “I appreciate:” to “I appreciate these people and things:” so the text before the colon constitutes an independent clause?! This special one-time aberration is just for you!)

I appreciate:

• Michael’s suggestion of using #kindnessbomb for Random Words of Kindness: #kindnessbomb and Bryan’s prolific use of it! It is so so so so so much fun to read all the yummy things people are saying to each other! Every time someone new does it I do a little dance. Maybe at some point I’ll make a video of the dance and post that. #kindnessbombhappydance 
• This morning’s rain. Look at everything grow! 
• So many choices about what to do every day. I don’t think I will ever run out of projects. Neat.

I appreciate:

• Sarah for her amazing choices, playful spirit, and spectacular death scene. And for coming back to life — and then seeing the apple and taking another bite. Love love love! 
• The satisfaction of spending an hour weeding despite mosquitoes and heat. Progress! 
• Ice pack for my spazzy little back.

• Photographs. I love being able to “see” things I’ve never seen and experience our world through the perspective of the photographer. I love the way they remind me of amazing moments in my life. 

• Dishes. So handy to have vessels for our food. 
• 3-day weekends. Even though I’m working, it still feels luxurious.

I appreciate:

• The beginning of stone fruit season. Nectarines, peaches, and plums, oh my. 
• This warm weather. I may be tired of it by the end of summer — but it sure feels awesome right now! 
• The way putting together exercises and ideas for a class sparks so many new discoveries and questions. So exciting! 

• Hugs, kisses, and squooshes. 
• Sidewalk chalk (which is what I’ll be coloring with this weekend). 
• Blueberries. Yum.

I appreciate:

• Everything about JimmyD’s class last night: Excellent class time, plant exchange (thank you Danny and Andy!), and hanging out with a bunch of goofballs after class. That was fun. 
• The sweet, quiet stillness of driving around the lakes at midnight. When I stopped to take the photo, the ducks nearby were quacking up a storm! I didn’t know they’d still be awake. 

• A sunny, meeting-free Thursday. Maybe I can get my to-do list done AND enjoy the sunshine. #eternaloptimist