Tender moments.

Are you ever going about your daily business and, out of nowhere, you see something that just warms your heart?

This morning, I had a lovely drive with the windows down, blasting some Band of Horses and the like on their Pandora channel. (Best ever, trust me.) I was in Waukegan on my way to court at the Lake County Courthouse and passed an auto repair shop. In front of the auto shop, there was a basket of bright pink petunias. They were really lovely. But what was even more lovely was the older hispanic gentleman carefully watering this basket. He was wearing his auto mechanic's shirt, stained with grease from repair after repair, and not quite dirty for the day. The sight of this rougher looking guy tending to such pink and girly flowers in such a careful manner put a smile on my face.

Some days, it might be seeing a really big, tough-looking guy walking a tiny dog, cooing to him in his puppy voice. Other days it might be seeing a very business-looking young guy on the el playing peekaboo with a little girl in a stroller.

Nearly every day, I find something unexpected about which to smile. Life is good.

For all those cynics who think I only take joy in others' misery a la the CTA bus incident of last week, you're wrong. I try to take joy in nearly everything. Life is so much sweeter that way.