The Little Things

Sometimes, when life gets you all stressed out, you need to take a moment, breathe in (and out), and think about the little things that make you want to jump up and down with joy and exuberance. I've been stressed lately, and so I've spent the entire evening thinking of things that make me want to do just that. In doing so, I realized that summer is a terrific time to be delighted by small things. Convenient. I also realized that I should do this more. It's fun! For instance, while washing the dishes a few minutes ago, I realized that my toes were really enjoying the dimpled fuzziness of the rug beneath them. See? It's the little things. Here are a few more things I thought of. Oh, and by the way, what's on your list?

1. Cherries are in season. Hold me back.

2. A young feminist blogger declared August Self-Esteem Awareness Month. Yeah! Young people rock!

3. The fantastic progressive comedians who work tirelessly to keep our silly culture in check.

4. Hugs. Big ones, small ones, good ones.

5. The fact that one of my favorite bloggers is involved in a New York-style thin crust pizza endeavor in Seattle, officially starting August 12th.

6. After a ridiculous amount of patience, my hair is finally long enough to put in a ponytail. (Thanks, Terra.)

7. The IKEA 2010 catalog has finally arrived! It seems I am the only person who is really excited about this. I feel as if I should be embarrassed by the extent of my excitement, but I'm not. Not at all.

8. The way The Maybelles wrap me up in their lilting, witty tunes.

9. Getting letters in the mail. Isn't that just the best?

10. The best herb store I've found in New York is right off the Q train in Brooklyn

11. This salad is so yummy and fresh, and it reminds me of one of my best friends.

Israeli Salad with Basil and Mozzarella

Serves 2

1 cucumber, preferably from the farmer's market

2 tomatoes, the tastiest you can find

4 basil leaves, julienned

2 Tb. olive oil

The juice of one lemon

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Several slices of fresh mozzarella

Dice the cucumber and tomato as finely as possible and place in a bowl. In a small cup, whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Pour over vegetables and mix together. Add salt and pepper to taste. I served this over fresh mozzarella because we had some, but I would usually eat this with hummus and pita, scrambled eggs, or anything else, really.

-Kylie