Finding delight

Pensive is defined as “dreamily” by Merriam-Webster.

Chuck said I looked pensive while writing this week’s column. Dreamily is probably a good way to describe how I felt as my thoughts came together.

While I was tending to my flowers this week, I stopped, held the rake, looked around, and smiled. My flowers give me such delight. You know “delight” is my word for 2026.

Here are the things that are bringing delight to my soul and keeping me smiling this spring.

• My current fiction choice is The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. It’s been seventeen years since she wrote The Help. In 2011, The Help was made into a movie. I’m 68 pages into the 656-page book! I’m not sure how long it will take, but the reviews make me believe it will be worth the read.
• My non-fiction read is Jennifer Dukes Lee’s How to Love Your Morning. I’m reading it slowly with a highlighter in one hand and the book in the other. I may need to invest in a new highlighter for quotes like “It’s not when you wake up. It’s aboutwho you wake up to be.” And then there’s “But maybe gratitude in hard times isn’t a feeling. Maybe it’s an act of trust and a form of defiant praise.” I’m enjoying my mornings even more. I no longer have a routine but a ritual. I go to bed looking forward to an early rise.
• Remarkably Bright Creatures on Netflix has been added to my list of Top 10 (?) Movies I’ll recommend to everyone. When I told my daughter, Emily, that Sally Field talks to an octopus in the movie, she thought it sounded a bit bizarre. As I said to her, I will say to all of you: trust me on this one. I’ve loved Sally Field since her Flying Nun This movie is AMAZING. Your heart will be hugged.
• The Merlin Bird App on my phone. Seriously, it listens for birds when I’m outside on the porch or out for a walk and identifies them by their sounds. I had never heard of a Chimney Swift, but now I even know its sound. Oh, my goodness!
• An evening with Priscilla Shirer and Anthony Evans at Northview Church with my bestie, Patrice. When I was a kid, my mother would say, “Well, we sure had church today!” It was after a service in which the Holy Spirit was truly present. Hands were lifted and tears were wiped as we sang ‘Cause You’re Not Finished.’ When Priscilla said, “We are satisfied customers of the Grace of God,” I realized that every so often I need a service like that to remind me of the power we have when we pray and the beauty of God’s Grace.
• I am a foodie. If you’ve never had a Peanut Butter Açaí Bowl at Everbowl, you’re missing out. It’s the full-meal deal. I’ve also discovered the two HUGE squares of Jet’s Pizza. Best $6 you can spend on a meal. I can only eat one square, and so can Chuck.
• Watching big machinery dig deep into the infrastructure of our downtown. I’ve always been fascinated by earthmovers, bulldozers, and all machines that dig. If you live close to Noblesville and have kids, bring them to Noblesville, grab some delicious ice cream at Alexander’s, and let the big machinery entertain them (and you).

In an era of nonstop road construction, you may as well make the best of it and watch all the big machinery at work! (Photo provided by Janet Hart Leonard)

I’m excited for the Indiana sweet corn and tomatoes to show up at the Farmer’s Markets. I’ll grab some onions for Chuck’s onion sandwiches (yuck) so he’ll be delighted.

I challenge you to find the simple delights of each day this summer. Perhaps you can sit and look a bit pensive as you make your list.  Dreamily is a good look on anyone.

If you look for the little things that bring you delight, you will discover it’s the small things that make your heart smile.

Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). She is the recipient of the Reporter’s Spring 2025 Ink-Stained Wretch award. Visit janethartleonard.com.