Small, good things

One of my favorite short stories is Raymond Carver's "A Small, Good Thing." Go ahead and read it; to explain the title is to give away the story. The concept, though, of small things really being meaningful is one that I fully embrace. I have been trying to make some changes that may seem small, but that I hope will someday, somehow, make a difference. Here's the first one; I'll write about more of them in the next few weeks.

Small, Good Thing #1
I do not want to drive Doodlebug to school. Her elementary school is about three blocks away, and that would be a huge waste of energy. It does get cold here, though, and walking is not going to be fun in February, but I have done my best to prepare us. So far, I've made some investments (long underwear for us all, good boots, a stroller with bigger wheels so I can safely transport Shmoo) and I've talked up our plan to enough people that I'll feel accountable should I look out the window one morning and see, as I did two weeks ago, this view of True: