Nice Things

Nice is a pretty innocuous word, actually, but I’m using it today because I realize that even in this crazy, sometimes baffling world in which we live, nice things happen. AND what are these “things”? When I was teaching I often told my students not to use “empty words” such as “things”. “Be specific,” I’d tell them. So I will be.

--Nice is having a lovely, long, leisurely, lunch, literally at the edge of the San Francisco Bay, with two longtime friends.

--Nice is seeing the sparkle of the sun running with the tide.

--Nice is a quick kiss on the cheek.

--Nice is a post-it note that says, “I love you.”

--Nice is seeing a photo of a friend’s genuine smile as she crosses the finish line after a grueling triathlon.

--Nice is the Champagne Study Group’s chatter.

--Nice is appreciating the awesome beauty of the fog and bright blue sky butted up against each other in the view of my camera.

--Nice is my fluffy, one-eyed cat purring in my ear.

--Nice is hearing the sound of tails slapping against the back of the couch when I greet my two dogs at 5:30 in the morning.

--Nice is a hummingbird sighting.

--Nice is a good book review.

--Nice is watching my baseball team win . . . please?

--Nice is an unexpected phone call from a former student just “checking in”.

--Nice is peaking under leaves in my garden for fresh vegetables . . . and finding them.

--Nice is being told it’s good to cry sometimes.

--Nice is a warm hug.

--Nice is giving a surprise gift to someone.

--Nice is accepting a gesture of unexpected kindness.

--Nice is, “You look nice today!”

--Nice is an infant’s smile.

--Nice is the crisp face of a Shasta daisy.

--Nice is watching a brightly colored koi floating serenely deep in the pond.

--Nice is becoming lost in one’s art.

--Nice is being absorbed in a good book.

--Nice is remembering.

The list could go on and on. I suppose that’s a good “thing”, but this is all for now.

Have a nice day!

Sausalito, California 6/19/2014