Things that make it worth it

There are some days when I just want to pull out my hair and scream at the top of my lungs, "GET ME OFF THIS RIDE!" Obviously I never really give into this urge--given the fact that I still have lots of hair (ask my hair stylist...she's swimming in hair by the time she's done with me.) But then, there are the tiny little things that make all the stress and pain and weariness melt away and seem like not a big deal at all. This isn't to say that I've been especially overwhelmed lately or anything... I'm just saying that sometimes it's great to revel in the small joys that make the everyday crap seem much easier to deal with. Like...

...getting to work on a Monday morning to discover a gift of cashews (my favorite!) and a thank you note from a study team I helped a couple weeks ago--hours on the phone, a visit to their office, and countless emails of explanation. But their study did not expire. And I feel good about that.

...letting my niece brush my hair into a 'new style' on Friday night. All of my hair was forward in front of my eyes. When she pushed the curtain of hair aside slowly and saw me looking at her, she piped up and said, "Hello!"

...walking down the hall and seeing a guy with the size sticker still stuck on the back of his new jeans...and then, after he had turned into a room, saying to Lacy in that covert, hush-hush voice, "Please tell me you just saw that." Her: "Of course I did." It's great just knowing that we can spot the same motley characters we see around work.

...having the lady sitting behind me at the play put her hand on my shoulder and say to me, "Whoever put the streaks in your hair did a really good job!" 'Streaks' isn't exactly the word I'd use...but I appreciated the sentiment. She kept saying, "No really, it looks SO nice!"

...receiving my rewards statement from Famous Footwear in the mail. Included in the envelope was a $20 gift card toward a purchase--no strings attached!

Never mind that taxes are still on the horizon and my laundry is a never-ending nightmare (currently living out of the baskets of clean laundry, thank you very much!)...it really is these little occurrences that make me smile and realize that I don't need everything to be perfect right here, right now.