I have one of those mini-books you find in the book store by the counters. It’s tiny, maybe 3″ by 3″. I don’t know why I bought it. It must have been my Writers’ ADHD (WADD–if it’s not an actual affliction, it ought to be!). I hate waiting in lines, and my eyes are always going to the racks of things they place strategically close to the counters for impulse buys. It has a sparkly cover, so I was sunk. This little treasure is entitled, The Woman’s Book of Simple Delights.

So, I’m going to open the book at random and pick out a “simple delight”. I need something to take my mind off what’s coming. Today’s going to be stressful. My mother decided to host the local art guild Plein Air event—it’s an outdoor event where painters set up their easels and paint the day away. It’s kind of like a writers’ “write-in” only writers are smarter. We meet at a coffee shop with AC running. These poor artists will be trying to find shade in 90 degree weather to paint their masterpieces. Okay, I’m not being snide. I think it’s really nice. I just can’t imagine taking my laptop outside on a day like today, but to each his or her own.

Let’s see, a simple delight… Okay, here’s one. Practice writing your name repeatedly with a fountain pen. Huh? I collect fountain pens, so that part’s nice. But what delight do I get from writing my name? Maybe when I was ten years old and dotting my I’s with hearts!

Can you think of some better simple delights? Maybe we should collect our own favorite secret delights and publish them ourselves!