Today's is a simple short mailing. And the focus is gratitude.

As I write I'm looking out onto trees coming freshly into bud and leaf, spanning all shades of green. Long-tailed tits are flitting around the branches - always a delight to see. A grey squirrel sits grooming. It's late afternoon and the sun is low in the sky, throwing the tree in front of me into a striking silhouette. Its crown is swaying gently in a soft breeze. Clouds in all shapes and shades pepper the blue sky. A tranquil scene.

I am not in the countryside. There are many houses in view too. It would be easy to overlook the level of beauty right outside my window. It would be easy to pass by without noticing, or appreciating it. And yet as I sit here, listening now to the wonderful melody of a song thrush singing, there is so much to marvel at and be grateful for: nature itself of course, my senses that allow me to experience it, my freedom to choose to dwell a while, and the sense of stillness and peace that I become connected to.

And within a very short distance of home I have beautiful seascapes and skyscapes to savour too. How very blessed.

North bay, Scarborough. April 2026. Barbara Payman.

This week's self-kindness invitation is to pay particular attention to things in your life that you are grateful for. There may be something very close to home that you have not appreciated recently. Gratitude is a profound act of self-kindness. It nourishes us very deeply. Good luck.

Go well.