It seems so simple but can so easily elude us: noticing the quiet, the surprising, the graceful--the moments of delight--that abound each day. Can we become more aware of delight, with practice?

Poet Ross Gay gave himself a year-long task: each day to fine-tune his ‘radar for delight,’ … to observe the small caretaking gestures that connect us, and to handwrite a short essay. He reads from the result, “The Book of Delights” and implores readers to slow down and savor the little things:

“I would be glad if to some extent people felt maybe even more inclined to sort of recognize the sweetness of our daily lives. And crucially, how interdependent we are.”

Links: Ross Gay, Maryland Humanities 2021 One Maryland, One Book.

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