That latte is epic!! I am so impressed and 13 is my lucky number so I would have taken that as a sign to buy it. Lol I would say my moments of delight are seeing our cat sticks his paws under my door every morning as if he is reaching for an invisible mouse. It makes me laugh every time, even if it is 5:30 in the morning. What a wonderful way to start my day. Loved this reminder.
AWWWWW my dog does the same thing. Except now he has figured out how to pop the door open… which is slightly less delightful 😂 I’m glad this was a good reminder - these small little things can be so impactful for us on the day to day 🩵
I also have to say that i absolutely love the section divider art you have created. makes me smile every single time I get to a section break. every time.
This piece about finding delight in everyday moments is a delightful read that everyone should take 5 minutes to enjoy.
Your story about the cat/mouse/dogs made me giggle because I have a dog who patrols the neighborhood cats who keep the mice out of my house, and I love it! Although I have never found the mouse hideout that the cats stake-out.
And, as you know, I wrote about an acrobatic squirrel last week for Hobbit & Owl...however our squirrel did not meet a happy fate.
And yes, a stained glass window art creation atop your latte totally makes it worth the $13 price tag...because, my dear friend, ✨delight✨ is priceless!
Alex, this was such a great reminder that delight is always there if we slow down enough to notice. The cat, mouse, and dog chaos had me laughing, and that dancing squirrel moment? Pure gold. Appreciate you sharing these—definitely made me pause and think about the little joys I might be missing.
Thanks, Clifford! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I was hoping that even with everything going on, this article could serve as a reminder that delight was just around the corner 🩵
This is so wonderful, Alex. Thank you so much for sharing your moments of delight. I'm right with you about finding it challenging to recognize and enjoy moments of everyday joy. In addition to the barrier made of the constant undercurrents of fear, anger, confusion, and impotence, I also find that my ability to engage with delight is hindered by a kind of survivor's guilt born of knowing that as miserable as I am about what's happening in our country right now, I'm one of the lucky ones. For now. Both things are difficult to overcome.
That said, I have been finding my moments.
There was this squirrel who posed for his portrait, complete with pilfered peanut:
ANYway ... thank you so much for this post and your persistence in finding moments of calm in the chaos. I especially love your interaction with the man and the squirrel in the park. That would make a lovely animated short. 💜
Reading this brought an inner smile. It's the small things in life that bring so much joy. Easily missed when our minds become distracted by the chaos around us.
Watching the goldfinches every day through my kitchen window bring me joy.
Hi Jules - thank you for sharing. Watching the goldfinches through the window would certainly bring me joy too. It’s so easy to lose sight of the little things when the chaos comes!
That latte! I might have never been able to drink it! One time, somebody gave me a birthday cake that was just so pretty I couldn't slice it! LOL. Someone else had to do it for me.
This is such a beautiful honest response to the current chaos and fear. Thank you. And animals always have a way of bringing us to the present with a good laugh ❤️
Thank you! I thought it would be fitting for 2025 and really connect in with my mindfulness practice.
Oh, it was truly spectacular. Once I saw it, I was worried it wouldn’t taste all that great and I was SO happy I was wrong about that too. It looked divine and it tasted divine. 🩵
I'm not gonna lie, I googled "stained glass latte" and came up with only stained glass, lol. Thank you for a wonderful delightful post, Alex. I've had my own fun squirrel antics to entertain me, as well as a good laugh as I passed the artichokes at the store the other day and stopped to admire. :) These days are a sad blend of so much, but we must keep working on finding delight!
I really love this, thank you for sharing. What brings me delight is when my two year old runs around telling everyone at daycare I’m his dad with the biggest smile on his face. I will never not love that. Never thought daycare pickup would melt my heart in quite that way 😊
Such a lovely read. First of all love that you are choosing delight, you don't hear that, I really love that. Also so gorgeous taking moments in the present, especially with animals! Plus also WOW the stain glass latte? Serious skill! Thank you for sharing, I hear you with the worlds intensities, sending all the compassion and held space through the airwaves.
Oh thank you for such a wonderful comment. Delight came about as I was trying to find a way to weave together a mindfulness practice with a focus on wonder and joy. It really has made a difference in my life this year - at least so far!
Thank you for being a source of delight in this newsletter, Alex! Animals and nature are perpetual delights for me. I usually groom our dog, but occasionally he goes in for a professional spa day (lol). It made me smile and giggle to watch all the dogs coming out, overjoyed to see their pet parents. And while I have a bit of aversion to artificial colors, there's no denying that your latte was a work of art. How incredible that it also tasted good! I appreciate you reminder to be alert for the little moments of delight that come our way, sometimes unbidden and sometimes because we take a chance and order the $13 drink. :)
Haha, I love watching goofy dogs be so excited to see their owners. I especially love when mine pop up over the counter when they hear me come in. Animals are just cuties 🩵
I don’t love artificial colors either, but the latte truly was beautiful. I was grateful it was delicious and the colors didn’t have any taste (thankfully!!).
I’m glad this can serve as a reminder to be alert for possible delight. It is everywhere!
That latte is epic!! I am so impressed and 13 is my lucky number so I would have taken that as a sign to buy it. Lol I would say my moments of delight are seeing our cat sticks his paws under my door every morning as if he is reaching for an invisible mouse. It makes me laugh every time, even if it is 5:30 in the morning. What a wonderful way to start my day. Loved this reminder.
AWWWWW my dog does the same thing. Except now he has figured out how to pop the door open… which is slightly less delightful 😂 I’m glad this was a good reminder - these small little things can be so impactful for us on the day to day 🩵
I also have to say that i absolutely love the section divider art you have created. makes me smile every single time I get to a section break. every time.
I call it the mustacheo 😂
🤣
Yes, I agree! That divider art is perfect!
Aww - I’m so glad you think so!
ALEX! I just love you!!!
This piece about finding delight in everyday moments is a delightful read that everyone should take 5 minutes to enjoy.
Your story about the cat/mouse/dogs made me giggle because I have a dog who patrols the neighborhood cats who keep the mice out of my house, and I love it! Although I have never found the mouse hideout that the cats stake-out.
And, as you know, I wrote about an acrobatic squirrel last week for Hobbit & Owl...however our squirrel did not meet a happy fate.
And yes, a stained glass window art creation atop your latte totally makes it worth the $13 price tag...because, my dear friend, ✨delight✨ is priceless!
Alex, this was such a great reminder that delight is always there if we slow down enough to notice. The cat, mouse, and dog chaos had me laughing, and that dancing squirrel moment? Pure gold. Appreciate you sharing these—definitely made me pause and think about the little joys I might be missing.
Thanks, Clifford! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I was hoping that even with everything going on, this article could serve as a reminder that delight was just around the corner 🩵
Well this made me smile, can that be my source of delight? Thanks for sharing Alex xx
Of course it can, Lucy! I’m glad it made you smile. I think we all need a few more smiles right now. 🩵
This is so wonderful, Alex. Thank you so much for sharing your moments of delight. I'm right with you about finding it challenging to recognize and enjoy moments of everyday joy. In addition to the barrier made of the constant undercurrents of fear, anger, confusion, and impotence, I also find that my ability to engage with delight is hindered by a kind of survivor's guilt born of knowing that as miserable as I am about what's happening in our country right now, I'm one of the lucky ones. For now. Both things are difficult to overcome.
That said, I have been finding my moments.
There was this squirrel who posed for his portrait, complete with pilfered peanut:
https://substack.com/@suddenlyjamie/note/c-89113270
And then there was this funny moment when my assumptions about something turned out to be very wrong:
https://substack.com/@suddenlyjamie/note/c-89007513
(I hope those links load properly.)
ANYway ... thank you so much for this post and your persistence in finding moments of calm in the chaos. I especially love your interaction with the man and the squirrel in the park. That would make a lovely animated short. 💜
Thank you for sharing all of this, Jamie 🩵
Feeling hindered because of a kind of survivor’s guilt is so real, and I feel it is tied in with powerlessness too.
I love both of those photos. Thank you for sharing - they are delightful! They brought a smile to my face. I bet that coyote would love an “owner” 😂
Thank you for sharing and for being here. I’m really so grateful to read your articles and also feel your kind support through your comments.
Reading this brought an inner smile. It's the small things in life that bring so much joy. Easily missed when our minds become distracted by the chaos around us.
Watching the goldfinches every day through my kitchen window bring me joy.
Hi Jules - thank you for sharing. Watching the goldfinches through the window would certainly bring me joy too. It’s so easy to lose sight of the little things when the chaos comes!
That latte! I might have never been able to drink it! One time, somebody gave me a birthday cake that was just so pretty I couldn't slice it! LOL. Someone else had to do it for me.
It is g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s.
It was painful to drink. So I drank it very carefully for the first while, avoiding the destruction of the top 😂
Until I was annoyed enough to just dive in. Haha!
Our two cats make me laugh everyday.
That latte is a dream 😲 😍
I've noticed a squirrel in our backyard the past two days! Lots of squirrel energy. Feels ADHD like me 😂
Hahaha. I definitely relate to squirrel energy. Because it is ADHD 😂
This is such a beautiful honest response to the current chaos and fear. Thank you. And animals always have a way of bringing us to the present with a good laugh ❤️
Thank you for being here 🩵
I don’t know what I would do without my dogs. They make life joyful, even in the depth of anxiety.
Delight is a great mantra for 2025!
And that Latte looked divine - never come across anything like that at all.
Thank you! I thought it would be fitting for 2025 and really connect in with my mindfulness practice.
Oh, it was truly spectacular. Once I saw it, I was worried it wouldn’t taste all that great and I was SO happy I was wrong about that too. It looked divine and it tasted divine. 🩵
I'm not gonna lie, I googled "stained glass latte" and came up with only stained glass, lol. Thank you for a wonderful delightful post, Alex. I've had my own fun squirrel antics to entertain me, as well as a good laugh as I passed the artichokes at the store the other day and stopped to admire. :) These days are a sad blend of so much, but we must keep working on finding delight!
I love how so many of us can relate to squirrel antics! They are just full of delight inducing moments. 🩵 Thank you for sharing.
I really love this, thank you for sharing. What brings me delight is when my two year old runs around telling everyone at daycare I’m his dad with the biggest smile on his face. I will never not love that. Never thought daycare pickup would melt my heart in quite that way 😊
Awwww. What a cute daily ritual that you get to experience! How could that not just create such a moment full of delight. Thank you for sharing 🩵
This passionflower blooming in a garden in Hobart, Tasmania!
AHHHHHHHH thank you for sharing! I love passionflowers - they are so beautiful to me. This truly just made my evening. 🩵
Such a lovely read. First of all love that you are choosing delight, you don't hear that, I really love that. Also so gorgeous taking moments in the present, especially with animals! Plus also WOW the stain glass latte? Serious skill! Thank you for sharing, I hear you with the worlds intensities, sending all the compassion and held space through the airwaves.
Oh thank you for such a wonderful comment. Delight came about as I was trying to find a way to weave together a mindfulness practice with a focus on wonder and joy. It really has made a difference in my life this year - at least so far!
Thank you for being here 🩵
Love that so much! Excited to read more in where it takes you and the moments you capture :)
Thank you for being a source of delight in this newsletter, Alex! Animals and nature are perpetual delights for me. I usually groom our dog, but occasionally he goes in for a professional spa day (lol). It made me smile and giggle to watch all the dogs coming out, overjoyed to see their pet parents. And while I have a bit of aversion to artificial colors, there's no denying that your latte was a work of art. How incredible that it also tasted good! I appreciate you reminder to be alert for the little moments of delight that come our way, sometimes unbidden and sometimes because we take a chance and order the $13 drink. :)
Haha, I love watching goofy dogs be so excited to see their owners. I especially love when mine pop up over the counter when they hear me come in. Animals are just cuties 🩵
I don’t love artificial colors either, but the latte truly was beautiful. I was grateful it was delicious and the colors didn’t have any taste (thankfully!!).
I’m glad this can serve as a reminder to be alert for possible delight. It is everywhere!