three good things

a while back, at my weekly meditation group, our regular “discussion period” was unusually quiet. no one really wanted to talk, it seemed, and the silence after the question “does anyone have anything they’d like to share?” was awkward.

crickets.

tumbleweeds.

silence.

so, our de-facto leader that night decided to try sparking some chatter by suggesting each of us share three good things about the day. just any three things that made us happy, or relieved, or feel nice, or were simply positive somehow.

“if you can’t think of three, two is okay,” he said. “if you can only think of one, that’s okay, too. and if you’d rather pass, you can pass.”

pass? would there really be anyone who couldn’t think of a single good thing about their day?, i wondered. turns out, yes, there were a few people who passed. but i think that had more to do with them being shy than them having had a day devoid of an ounce of goodness.

for the rest of the group, it was an opportunity to share everything from the minutiae of their world (“i had a really great sandwich at lunch”) to the life-changing (“my husband’s cancer is officially in remission”). one by one, we went around the circle (because that’s how the chairs are configured) and thought about our days, each one of us picking out a few things to offer. for some, it was challenging to find three things, for others it was easy. overall, though, it was a surprisingly moving exercise – a few people shed tears, and i tried hard not to (especially after the remission admission) – that allowed each of us to share as much or as little of ourselves as we liked with the others. it reminded us all to be a little more mindful in our day-to-day lives. to look for the good if it didn’t seem obvious at first.

it was also a nice way to acknowledge that there’s something good in every day... and that those good things don’t have to be Big Events like winning the lottery or getting married or eating a platter of cupcakes. little things count.

little things add up.

little things are good.

little things can be great.

so, later today, i encourage you to think about three good things about your saturday.

even if they’re little.