“It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.” – Paul Coelho

This week was pretty quiet after all the people and activities of last week. And I am grateful for both, the busyness and the stillness.

1. Honey harvest. This week was the big honey harvest from our bees! One of our hives lost a queen earlier this summer and didn’t quite make enough excess for us to take, but the other hive gave 50+ lbs so far! I’m excited to sell it again this fall as well as try out some new recipes. Honey caramels anyone?!?
2. Garden veggies. Speaking of harvests, our little cherry tomatoes have started to ripen as well as a couple of our bigger tomatoes. The chickens got to one of the big tomatoes before I did, but there’s a couple more that are just about ready to pick. In the past week I’ve also harvested a couple zucchini, some jalapeños, and a strawberry! And we finally have baby cucumbers!!! Very excited to see the literal fruits of my labor.
3. Reorganizing. I get a unique sense of joy and accomplishment when I’m able to rearrange and repurpose items around the house in a way that bring better organization and efficiency. This week it was moving a big cedar chest out of the guest room closet into the living room behind the couch. We have so much space between our couch and the wall that isn’t being used and isn’t visible from the rest of the room. Before it was filled with mismatched baskets overflowing with blankets, dog toys, and exercise equipment. Now all of that is tucked neatly into the chest. And now the guest room closet doesn’t look quite as cluttered as it did before. I did a couple other little projects like that this week and it makes me so happy to get the right things into the right places.
4. Shitty first drafts. I’m serious here. I follow a few writers on social media and I am constantly thankful for the reminders that all first drafts are bad. The purpose is just to get the words out and the story on paper because you can’t edit nothing. I’ve been writing a lot recently and it’s been pretty bad. But it brings me joy to know that what I’m doing right now is all part of the process and exactly what I should be doing at this stage in the game!
5. Reading. I spent a lot of time this week reading. I mean, I probably read more than the average person on a weekly basis because I consider it part of my “job” as a writer. But this week I really took some intentional time to dedicate to reading and I am really grateful for slowing down and immersing in story.