The small things

The small things in life really can brighten your day. It's only 1pm, and I already have 3 examples.

1) I started off my morning by going to Global Village, a coffee shop I used to go to. The lattes are almost as good as the ones from French Press. The owner is super nice, even though he never interviewed me for a job when I applied back in college. :-P Anyhow, I was on my way out the door, latte in hand, iPod headphones in, when I heard something that sounded like my name. It was a girl who I had known a few years back from my summer job. I sat down and chatted with her for a few minutes to catch up. I could only stay for a few minutes, because I had office hours to conduct before teaching. We exchanged numbers and promised to get together soon with Blue Eyes and the OB (she knows both of them). The brief encounter reminded me that I have a network here in Raleigh and that the move from Boston isn't turning out to be as lonely as I feared.

2) When I started class today I took attendance and noted that I had four students absent. Near the back of the room I heard one boy say to another, "Who would want to miss this class?" incredulously. Cute. One of the boys has already emailed me twice to tell me how much he likes my class. It's great to get some enthusiasm from the students, rather than pure boredom.

3) I returned home to a very excited dog. She was wagging her tail so hard that I thought her bottom was going to fly off. What a nice greeting!

I'd be curious to hear what small things brightened your day today?