Spotting little hearts everywhere. And I’m grateful.

I keep spying little hearts. And every time I see that tiny shape, I smile.

Like a little pop-up shop of kindness, it feels like they are small reminders of positivity that appear in unusual places. Just one sighting can make a good day even better, and put what’s causing a not-so-good day into perspective. The reason? The heart-shaped happies of hope and love remind me to be grateful for all of the moments that I have. Even if this moment isn’t so good, there’s another moment sneaking up behind that could be amazing.

It may seem like a coincidence, and that I’m searching for the shapes, but I’m not. Whenever I spy a heart, I haven’t been thinking about them. I’ve spied the shape while walking around our small town, on sidewalks and in a stump. I’ve seen a heart on the stove as I was about to clean its surface. Hearts have popped up as an egg shell speck and leftover wax from a burning candle. And my husband Mark gave me a wood cut-off shaped like a heart while he tended to a Sunday morning autumn fire in our backyard. (He didn’t know about this little shape trend. And he won’t know until he reads this.)

Every time I spy a heart, I pause whatever I’m doing and reflect. I reflect on how lucky that I am to have this time, and that there is goodness and kindness all around me in this world. I thank the reminder, and I am grateful to the reason that I was able to notice it. 

It’s possible to see heart shapes in many places. But it’s also possible to never notice the small pops of positivity that surround us every day. Reminders of hope and love can make a big difference in how we live and share kindness.

Now that I’ve started noticing the shapes and appreciating the reminders popping up around me, I’m comforted by them. Little hearts are all around us.

Oh how I appreciate that simple shape that keeps catching my eye. And while I may not notice all of them, I’m thankful for every little heart and moment of kindness that surrounds all of us, every day.