Three beautiful things in this week where we really need to work to find it:

1. The nice thing about living and working in the bluest of blue places (93% of D.C.’s voters chose Hillary) is that those of us who showed up on Wednesday and today were extra gentle with each other as we all sat in our offices and shared spaces wiping away tears.

2. The line at our polling place on Election Day was more than an hour long, but the priest came down the queue with doughnuts, and we all chatted with each other and were generally pretty chill with a festive feeling of civic virtue in the air. Granted, at that point, we thought we were going to win, but still…

3. Sarah spent last week in upstate New York and brought cider doughnuts back with her, including a half dozen for us.

How about you? What beauty have you encountered in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Sam and his brother Alan come down for a show they went to see with Rudi, and we get to spend the weekend with them. We’ve known them for decades now, so they’re like family.

2. In our final regular-season loss, our volleyball team worked well together and played a fun, scrappy game. As one of my teammates noted, we didn’t even mind losing the way we played. (And as a bonus beautiful thing, I think we’re going to sign up to play together again in the winter.)

3. Sunday afternoon, I head up to the park to read in the sunshine and it happens to be the neighborhood Halloween party. There’s a bake sale and free popcorn and two moon bounces for the kids, and lots and lots of costume love. My favorite was a small baby dressed as a hot dog.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world recently?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, heavy on the latter.

2. I have enough Halloween-themed socks to wear a different pair every day for more than a week.

3. Sleeping in on the weekend, surrounded by cats.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world recently?

Sorry for a tardy Three Beautiful Things post. I had managed to lock myself out of my site and have had a tired, busy week that just wasn’t conducive to my getting back in. But, obviously, things are better now!

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. We got to see Dylan Moran, who plays Bernard in Black Books, at the Lincoln last night.

2. My volleyball team got together to practice on Sunday, and while we still lost this week’s game, our playing was much improved.

3. This week’s debate was the final one for this election season.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

A day late, but still… Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Because we found cider doughnuts on our drive home to D.C., we were able to pick up some to bring back to Sarah, who loves them as much as I do.

2. A cool evening means we make hot apple cider with fresh cinnamon sticks.

3. It’s nice to have chilly air for sleeping in, because it makes me want to snuggle underneath all the covers. With the windows open in our bedroom, we had perfect temperatures at my folks’ house.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. Apple picking with Rudi, Sarah, John, Nicole, and baby Juliet.

2. Wearing pants, wool socks, knee-highs, and a sweatshirt. (Obviously not all at once.)

3. Eating lunch outside with my book, beneath sunny skies.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world recently?