Three beautiful things from the week that marked our ninth anniversary of moving to D.C.:

1. Several events have conspired to make it mandatory that I go to the DMV inspection station the final Friday morning of the month — one of the days they instruct you to avoid at all costs. I wake to rain, but without a choice in the matter, head across town, feeling more than a little grim about the likely wait. But instead of a crowd, I find myself able to drive right up to the building, and my car has its pass sticker in less than five minutes.

2. The bus driver greets all the passengers getting on the bus and cheerfully chats with each of the senior citizens, asking about details of their lives. He’s just the sort of bus driver that Sesame Street and Richard Scarry brought me up to expect.

3. Three sunny days in a row, my coworker Sarah and I leave our desks and go outside. Twice we sit and eat lunch and talk about things that have nothing to do with work. It’s been a long time.

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