If This Isn't Nice...

In a world that seems to be getting more bad, author Kurt Vonnegut implored us to take a moment to acknowledge when things are good. 

And aren't things often good? If not, I guess we are doing it wrong.

The things that make us happiest are often those that are free.

To a money worshipping society, this seems impossible. 

The best money can do is make your unhappiness a little more palatable. But only for a little while.

Vonnegut suggested that: 

"When things are going sweetly and peacefully, please pause a moment, and then say out loud, "If this isn't nice, what is?"

I did that yesterday when I rode my bike  into town to pick up a pack full of groceries.

To start, it was a beautiful sunny day. That sweet, sweet sunshine is good for things that are solar powered, like me.

Along the way I saw an irruption of robins, the first I have seen this spring. 

An irruption of birds is described as a sudden surge in numbers, and is often associated with migration. They are an amazing sight after a long winter without so many of our winged friends.

Cheerful red breasts littered lawns, so many heads tilted toward the warming soil in a search for early worms. 

The first full moon of March (on the 7th this year) is known as the Worm Moon. It marks the approximate time that earthworms and other wiggly things start to stir as Spring approaches.

I got to the store and picked up bananas, a bag of apples, and a day old baguette. 

Through a bit of frugal shopping, I got all three items marked down (50% off). I passed on the half price chocolate bars. That's not the kind of sweet I am looking for.

On the way back home I spied out a spot where I know I can find early blooms. Sure enough, there they were - a bunch of bright, white snowdrops.

When I got home there was a pair of snow buntings eating grass seeds on our front lawn. 

Linda mis-spoke and called them snow dumplings. I think I like that name better, and from now on in our house they will be known by that.

The plumping white dumplings stayed for hours, pecking away to fatten up for their thousands kilometre journey back north for breeding season.

Now, if that wasn't a sweet, peaceful day, what is? 

I was grateful for it all.

"One of the things [Uncle Alex] found objectionable about human beings was that they so rarely noticed it when they were happy. He himself did his best to acknowledge when times were sweet." - Kurt Vonnegut