It's a beautiful day in my neighborhood!

This day ends with a whisper and a snore. My dogs are sleeping blissfully on their beds beside my computer while I contemplate the many events of the day. It was a simple day. Nothing much of substance happened. And yet it was important. Every moment of today contributed to the sum total of experiences in my life. Twenty years from now I may not remember it. My children will forget what they had for dinner and I'll forget what terribly important project I needed to finish at work. It will have been just another Thursday in the grand scheme of my life.

How many days like these do we encounter, the days where nothing of significance happens. We smile and nod and exchange informal conversations with strangers at work. We complain about our headaches and backaches and cranky children. And it's just life.

And yet I believe I am living intentionally. I consider every person, every interaction, valuable. The conversation with Angela, my favorite Shop N Save Deli associate, who has the prettiest braids and most beautiful smile. Every time I see her we both light up. And she tells me about her grandchildren and I explain why I love Muenster cheese. And we are living life together, sharing a moment where we connect and experience humanity in a tangible way. I feel like I spend half my life in Shop N Save buying food for my family, so much so that many of the workers there have become like family to me. They might think I'm that crazy, frizzy girl with the goofy smile, but that's okay. I am comfortable enough with myself to be real.

This morning while riding my bicycle I saw a pharmacy worker walking her dog and I waved and said good morning. It was about 5:25am. So when I saw her in the store tonight she just smiled at me. "You sure get up early!" Yes. Yes I do.

I'm not rich. I don't have a fancy house or a lot of cool gadgets and gizmos. I live a fairly simple life. But I am rich in love, the love I receive from my family and friends and even from strangers who make the effort to smile back. Most often the most extraordinary lives are lived on cul de sacs, in poorer neighborhood's where children's tummies are filled with hotdogs and beans. They grow up repeating those patterns with their own children and a legacy resonates throughout history. So when you are experiencing a day that wasn't very exciting, where you subsisted on coffee and candy bars and your head hits the pillow with no huge sense of accomplishment, remember that every day you live, regardless of how ordinary, is precious simply because you existed in it.