You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
"I saw this and thought of you."
cat wakes up, looks at you, and starts purring.
dappled sunlight through the leaves of an old maple tree
friend laughing at your joke
fluffy clouds turning pink and purple as the sun sets
the glow of lights on a foggy night
a small child hops off a schoolbus into the arms of their waiting father, who spins them once before setting them down.
needle-felted sheep with green wool
"nice job!"
teenager singing to himself as he walks home from school
fresh peaches in summer with whipped cream
trying something new and enjoying it
the smell of baking bread
secondhand clothes that fit perfectly
"this is really cool."
being home alone, enjoying the quiet
the smell of leaves and dirt in a forest
sitting on a sun-warmed bench and watching ducks napping on a pond
seeing a friend out in public when you weren't expecting it
free craft supplies
enjoying something you didn't think you would
thick fluffy pancakes cooked perfectly on the first try
helped someone solve a problem
stepping on dry autumn leaves. crunch
a dandelion growing through the crack in the pavement
a cluster of four leaf clovers on the driveway
old cat sleeping in a sunbeam
birds solving puzzles
glittery stickers
"you're really good at this!"
little dogs in sweaters
a dying kitten got the medicine he needed
new species of deer found in peru
there are good books to read
candles lit, shining in the window
a stuffed animal loved to pieces and then restored
the dandadan opening
pandas are now "vulnerable" - no longer "endangered"
"it's great to see you."
no longer in pain
the cashier was nice
nothing went wrong today
digging a hole and putting your hands in the soft dirt
singing along in the car
favorite cupcakes on my birthday
fireworks blooming in the night sky
the sound of rain
a single snowflake caught on your glove
gluing googly eyes to things
there is always something new to learn
there are more things on this earth than any one person could ever understand
there are things to love you don't know about yet
there are people who will love you that you haven't met yet