I went to the grocery store this morning. Because I am a small child and require everything to be entertaining, I sometimes think of my grocery shopping as my hunting and gathering. It sounds much more interesting. I hunted down that organic apple juice. I harvested that squash from the bin. Sometimes, when I want something out of the ordinary, it is a bit of a hunt as I try to figure out the ten most logical places for the item in question to hide.

It’s a game, of course. But I think it does actually help me keep connected to the essentials of life. So often I think about the food and clothes and shelter as the stuff to get out of the way so I can live my life instead of recognizing that those things are life. If I can’t stop and enjoy that it is warm in this room and cold outside, if I don’t notice that my breakfast eggs are smooth and brown, if I don’t wiggle my toes in my shoes from time to time, how can I be sure I’m alive?

It’s a day to be joyful in small things. And, maybe, to get a few big things done, too.