Exactly What is The Good Stuff?

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 79

Hi Friends,

It only took one time reading this quote to know that it was meant for me and my Pen to Paper readers.

"It's not the honors and prizes of life which ultimately nourish our souls. It's the knowing that we can be trusted, that we never have to fear the truth, that the bedrock of our very being is good stuff." - Fred Rogers

Calling the good stuff “the bedrock of our very being” is powerful. It made me think about how we find the good stuff that feeds our souls.

In this newsletter:

1. If it were a snake, it would have bitten me.

2. A simple experiment.

3. Acknowledging a missed opportunity.

Looking for the Snake

Actually, I was looking for honey - in my pantry.

If you read my March 14 edition of Pen to Paper, you know I’m not the most organized person. But I do have a system. I can easily locate 95% of the items in my pantry when I need them.

I looked for the honey, checking all the usual spots: the turntable where I keep syrups and sweeteners and the top shelf where I put the new items I buy when I’m almost out. I even checked the unusual spots. But I couldn’t find any honey, so I put it on the grocery list.

I came home with groceries, and when I reached up to put the honey on the turntable, I found a brand-new jar of honey! How did I miss that?

Somehow, I missed what was right in front of my nose. If it had been a snake, it would have bitten me.

Now, I have two jars of honey.

My Experiment

After reading Mr. Rogers's quote, I knew I needed to write about it. After all, the subtitle of this newsletter is “Gratitude and the good in life.”

I’ve written about how my gratitude journaling helped me see the good in my life. I decided to take a day and note all the good things I observed or experienced. My objective was to show how good surrounds us.

So, I set out to find the good. I looked for the things that put a smile on my face, make me reflect, fill me with positivity, or inspire me. That is how I define good. You may have a different definition. Here is my one-day list:

• A sunny day

• Cutting open a perfectly ripe avocado

• The layout of the Breathe magazine

• The challenge of a crossword puzzle

• Hearing a favorite song from high school

• Having the option of using a country road to commute to my volunteer job

• Discovering an owl’s nest on my daily walk.

• Friendly greetings

• Being needed

• Bringing a smile to someone’s face

• Seeing the flowers, shrubs, and trees in bloom

• When someone lets you into busy traffic

I could keep going, but you get the idea. This is only until 2:00.

These are all small good things. They all feed my soul in a small way. I can write the words “I am grateful for” in front of any of them.

Gratitude and good things go hand in hand.

My Missed Opportunity

In June 2023, I started journaling “Happiness, Good, and Reflection” at the end of the day. My focus for ‘good’ was on what good I did that day.

There was a problem with my focus. I couldn’t always see good that I did. I may have stayed home all day. Many days were routine or didn’t present an opportunity for me to do good.

Last night, I sat to write in my journal, and I had an “Aha!” moment.

I shouldn’t be writing only about the good I do. I should also write about the good I observe and experience.

All of the good stuff in our lives, whether we are on the doing, receiving, or observing it, feeds our souls.

All of the good stuff is noteworthy.

Photo by S.G.S. Abel

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:

1. It’s good when your good habits influence someone else. The picture above shows my granddaughter, three years ago, working on her crossword puzzle just like her Grampa.

2. I find owls and other birds of prey fascinating, and I was really excited to spot an owl flying into a hole in a neighborhood tree. Owls haven’t always had a good reputation. Check out this article.

3. This one is probably a repeat on my list. One of my favorite children’s books is Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. I love to give it as a baby gift. I hope to be seeing real owl babies soon.

4. I’m grateful for my ‘Aha!’ moment. It has changed my approach to my evening journaling session.

5. This brief article by Martha Beck offers some suggestions for feeding your soul. I only needed to read one of Beck's books to become a fan.

6. Just like my search for honey in my pantry, sometimes a second or third look at something can reveal that it’s some of the good stuff in your life.

7. My list of good stuff inspires me to think beyond journaling for the bigger good stuff in my life.

Thank you for reading. I hope this edition of Pen to Paper inspires you to make a list of the good stuff in your life.

Until next time,

💚

Susan

Are any of the items on my good stuff list on yours as well? Leave a comment and let me know.

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I have a 2nd newsletter about journaling. If you are interested or know someone who would be interested, check it out at From The Pen’s Nib: A Commonplace Book About Journaling.