“...the more you study delight,
the more delight there is to study.”
– Ross Gay, American Poet
My mind switched into gratitude mode this week.
Several streams flow into the river:
• wandering around what used to be my family farm and being reminded how beautiful it is;
• preparing for my family’s annual picnic and being reminded how blessed I am to be part of this remarkable group;
• having coffee with a dear friend to discuss a workshop I’m planning and being reminded that we’ve been meeting like this for 50 years;
• holding suffering friends and family members in the Light and being reminded how much they mean to me;
• reading an evocative essay by an Irish-Tasmanian friend and being reminded how much I love good writing;
• learning of the sudden death of someone I knew in high school and being reminded to never take my health or life for granted;
• watching my beloved husband enthusiastically solve household problems and being reminded how much I love him;
• and listening to Krista Tippett’s On Being podcast interview with poet Ross Gay (link) and being reminded how much I appreciate the nurture I glean from her weekly podcasts.
In fact, it is Ross Gay’s philosophy of recording the daily delights of his life that inspired this blog post. I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of Gay’s latest book, The Book of Delights, from my favourite bookstore, Books & Company in Picton, Ontario (link).
In the spirit of Gay’s example, I have begun recording the daily delights in my own life. And Gay is correct – the more you study delight, the more delight there is to study.
The photos that follow all come from the Quaker Gathering I attended in Grinnell, Iowa last month. Enjoy – I hope you find them as delightful as I do!
PS: And, no, Books & Company didn’t pay me to write nice things about them. They’re the real deal. A booklover’s paradise. Amazon doesn’t seem to have noticed that two months ago I switched my book orders to Books & Company. So much for their algorithms! ;-)
"Russett" by Mary Merkel-Hess,
Bucksbaum Center for the Arts,
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Quaker Grey Hair - in the Light
Exterior Wall Detail,
Humanities & Social Science Center,
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Lighting Fixture,
Rosenfield Center
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Roof Detail,
Office of Admissions,
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Cherry Picker Operator,
Humanities & Social Sciences Center
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Meskwaki Woman's Beaded Vest (detail),
by Mary Young Bear,
Bucksbaum Center for the Arts,
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Forgotten Aluminum Chair,
Noyce Science Center,
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Construction Site,
Park Street at 7th Avenue,
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
Decorated Ford Ranger Truck,
Unknown Artist(s),
Entrance to Bucksbaum Center for the Arts,
Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
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