a week of delights

Last week, I had occasion to tell a friend about the work of poet and author Ross Gay. Are you familiar with him? If not, oh, how you should be. His books, The Book of Delights, Inciting Joy and The Book of (More) Delights are collections of essays exploring all the different ways that joy has shown up in his life. The beauty of his work isn’t just the lyrical way that he writes, it’s that these joys are all so familiar. He writes about the way avid gardeners (of which he is one) always share their bounty with each other. And how the best basketball players in neighbourhood pick-up games can take your breath away. Or even the joy of paper menus, and how they’re far superior to those QR codes some restaurants will make you use to access digital versions, because paper menus invite you to have a moment of connection with the waitstaff, and moments of connections are increasingly rare.

You know, delights like that.

Years ago, on my blog, I used to share evidence that “this was a good week” — finding good news around the web that proved there was good in the world. I have to admit that in recent years, my cynicism got the best of me, and it was harder and harder to come up with the list. But having revisited Ross Gay’s books last week, I’ve been motivated to spot a few of personal delights:

Like Alex finishing up her first semester at her new university, and is so happy at her decision to transfer and change her major. (Also, having her back home is such a delight).

And also, the way our mimosa tree (grown from a cutting Marcus stole from an abandoned lot in our neighbourhood a few years ago) is in full, shocking pink bloom.

And how, when I shared a photo similar to the one above on my Instagram feed, someone said mimosa trees reminded them of those Dr. Seuss truffula trees from The Lorax.

And the fact that the recent solar flare created a once-in-a-lifetime Northern Lights event in north Houston, can you imagine? (I didn’t see it, too much light pollution, but it’s a delight nonetheless!)

And the story my friend Asha shared that her daughter told her about the encampment at her university: "She told us about a small Passover seder organized by some Jewish students in the encampment. A group of Muslim students held hands and surrounded them in a protective circle so they could celebrate without interruption." I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: kindness is such a power move.

Anyway, my point is, this week my wish for all of us is that we each experience delights — and most importantly, that we notice them. Because these delights remind us of what’s worth fighting for.