Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The moon wasn’t full (Saturday is the Harvest Moon), but this evening’s moonrise was still spectacular.

2. As I was walking to the garden, I saw some folks had set up a net and were playing volleyball. “Would you like to play?” one of them asked. I assured them I would, but I had to go pick my tomatoes first before it got too dark. We played until the lights came on.

3. I decided we should award surprise superlatives to the volleyball team this time around, so a teammate and I wrote best-of’s for everyone, which I think went over really well. While we’d kept each other’s secret, I was cheerfully resigned to “team mom” for my organizing role. But instead, in a heartwarming, don’t-cry-on-the-field kind of moment, she dubbed me “Queen of the Misfits,” and I’ve never felt more seen or more touched.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The camera (and flashlight) on my phone started working again!

2. We landed in Baltimore at dawn and the sky was beautifully streaked with pink.

3. My BFF, Karen, and I got a chance to catch up.

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

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. My friend Neal suggests that rather than do the sane thing, which is to pick up three additional players from the earlier round of volleyball games, we take on our opponents (who have ten players — enough for a full roster, plus four people ready to rotate in) with just the three of us who were able to make our match. I have my misgivings, but his confidence is contagious, and he, our teammate Chris, and I pull off a 2-0 victory.

2. Monday is a beautiful night for a ballgame and the Nationals must agree, because they decide to win the game.

3. Neal came over for supper and Ted Lasso, marking the first time we’ve had non-party company over in … five years. We agree that we’ll do it again, and I’ve already told my friend Anna and her partner that they should come sometime next month. And I just told Sarah to come for supper. How did I not notice this?

What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. The final night of the Fort Reno summer concert series was just as gorgeous as the first. I’m not sure if it was that or the fame of the final performer, Ted Leo, that pulled in such a large crowd.

2. Because it had rained Friday evening, my friend Neal and I were on the hunt for restaurants with covered outdoor seating and a selection of vegetarian options. I stumbled across a mention of an Afghan restaurant near him, so we headed over for supper. Everything about the place — from the servers to the food — was lovely, and we dawdled at the table past closing time.

3. I got a chance to have a chat with one of my former coworkers, and it was good to hear how he was doing, even if some of his news wasn’t as positive as he would have hoped. He mentioned chatting again in the future, which was the best part of all.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately? Spread the beauty in the comments!

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. A lovely night with Rudi at the ballpark ended with a Mets win and the thunderstorm not moving in until after we’d biked back home.

2. Love and Gelato got off to a bit of a rocky start for me with some significant details changed from the book early on, but in the end they didn’t affect much of the story.

3. A former coworker and I have plans to catch up tomorrow. I’m very much looking forward to talking with him.

How about you?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I came home Tuesday in time for volleyball and Rudi followed tonight. Our bed is not as comfortable as the place where we stayed, but Corey is here and it is ours and I will take being in it over any other.

2. I wrapped up my portion of the Portland trip with an hour in a soaking pool at a nearby hotel, a very spa’ish experience and for $8 a very reasonable one. When our time was up, I felt boneless and very relaxed.

3. I went up to Fort Reno for tonight’s concert, only to have a biting rainstorm sweep down on us just as the second act was about to begin. I folded our waterproof picnic blanket over my backpack (which held my library book) and decided to sit out the weather, rather than running for shelter. It wasn’t thundering and it wasn’t hailing, so there was no harm in staying out, and while they did eventually call the show, I was first rewarded with a rainbow and a fellow passing me by saying, “Now, you’re punk rock!” And I just laughed and laughed as I got wetter and more ridiculous, but those bubbles of laughter carried with them a lightness I haven’t felt in a long time.

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