Some hints of gladness.

Midway through today I could no longer control my urge to shout from the rooftops: "New York, I love you!" And so I did the next best (and possibly more-effective) thing: I tweeted about it. "Experiencing an intense I love New York day. We've got a real winner, folks." And how! Morning coffee led to several hours poking around the green market with a friend, where we acquired roughly 50 pounds of produce (more on that later this week). I also picked up a small bunch of wild hen of the woods mushrooms, and when we returned to my house I sautéed them in butter with parsley and salt. I toasted some bread. I reboiled the last of my soup. I plated the mushrooms atop the toast with a little more butter. I discovered some feta cheese in the fridge. We feasted. It was a simple meal made more exciting by the fragrant bouquet of eucalyptus I had spied at the market and decided to buy last minute. Fresh flowers (or, in this case, branches) are a real treat for me, my roommates and our guests. They give a space an air of being well-cared for, even loved. They seem to beckon, and to quote Mary Oliver: "give off such hints of gladness. / I would almost say that they save me..."

Just when I thought things couldn't get better, I received an invitation to afternoon tea, complete with fresh-baked scones, jam and whipped cream. I plucked several branches of eucalyptus and bundled them with twine. I grabbed a sweater and I set out. Walking through Tompkins Square Park to my friend's I kept thinking, almost singing, Oh, how I love the goodness inspired by days like this one, days when my own lust for life catches me off-guard and I'm left smiling like a fool at any stranger willing to make eye contact.