Adding Up All the Little Miracles
Weekend Reads v. 6 June 2026
The smart people over at Merriam-Webster define a miracle as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs.” I’m no wordsmith, but I think they could take this down a notch to include those small miracles we encounter each and every day.
Take my drive up Interstate 95 one evening last week. The stretch of road I was traveling had just two days prior witnessed a horrible crash that claimed lives and injured more than two dozen people. It was a wreck so bad, it made the national news. I couldn’t help but imagine the panic and sadness of the families impacted by this disaster as I passed the site of the crash at mile marker 146.
About 10 miles up the road, I switched from the center lane to the left-hand lane. Maybe two minutes later, the car to my right – traveling in the center lane I’d just departed – ran over a truck tire that had unrolled into a giant strip of rubber. The car swerved but was not able to avoid violently bumping over the rubber. And then, I kid you not, just a few miles up the road the same scenario replayed itself. Only this time sparks flew when the second car drove over yet another strip of rubber.
At this point, I was spooked and scanning the road for debris. There was a steady stream of traffic. There usually is on this freeway at that time of day. I counted orphaned tires propped up alongside the concrete median as I made my way north. I was afraid of how prevalent opportunities for misfortune were on this average drive up an ordinary road.
Tragedy can reorient us. We assume a poster of wonder and develop a mindset of gratitude, noticing the small things around us. If we are lucky, we will notice that every day, miracles cross our path. Sometimes we see them, sometimes we are completely unaware. I bet if you look for these small miracles this week, you’ll find them. They aren’t always delivered to us in the dramatic packaging of a near-miss involving an accident you avoided by changing flights or changing lanes. I see some chance encounters as small miracles – like when I ran into a colleague in the lobby of our office building and we ended up having a very productive impromptu conversation that solved several problems. That was a small miracle in my book. Receiving unexpected kindness after receiving hard news meets my definition of a small miracle. Feeling so very seen when a waiter or barista remembers your usual order and your name.
The world can be a hard place, that’s for sure. One day, someone’s journey home after vacation is cut short by a traffic accident while the car in the next lane swerves and continues onward. How else to explain those surreal, supernatural experiences but as major and minor miracles?
By the way, all these experiences happened to me this week – an ordinary week packed with extraordinary moments if I only I’ll slow down to look for them.
Love the graphics on this website that breaks down how everyday items like mechanical pens and Zippo lighters are made.
Film producer Christine Vachon’s photo journal of Delta lounges reminds me of when the internet felt magical (we stopped capitalizing “internet”, right?)
This observation rings so true to me. Not only have I seen people parading around the city – any city, actually – with obnoxiously giant and obviously unread copies of the book du jour, I’ve also engaged in this shameless false advertising. Do I want to be reading a giant Russian novel at the beach? No. But for some reason, I think you’ll think better of me, and I most certainly want you to strike up a conversation with me about it. (I do, however, highly recommend reading Anna Karenina while you’re killing 11 hours in the waiting room of Dublin hospital. True life!) We read to connect with people. And sometimes we use books as a way to present an idealized version of ourselves.
“People talk about BookTok as though it ruined reading by making books aesthetic and trend-driven. Respectfully, books have always functioned this way. Reading has never been a purely intellectual activity detached from identity, aspiration, taste, class, or social life.
I understand now that readers are not simply buying a few hours of entertainment. They [are] buying shared references, shared emotional experiences, and shared language with the “in group” of other people who also read that book.
And—why not?—they want pretty bookshelves, too.
It’s not just fiction, either. Have you noticed how many cookbooks no longer feature unflattering photos of chefs holding bowls of pasta on the cover?
Instead, aesthetic, illustrated covers let cookbooks double as gorgeous kitchen decor. Because why own a book that tells people that you know how to cook when it could also say you have excellent taste in interior design?” (Source)
Here’s a purse/basket for your phone. If you’re into that kind of thing!
Pretty sandals for summer dresses (especially if you’re going to a wedding).
This retro-looking camera would be a good gift for a teenager. Or yourself. ;)
I’m on a break from buying books until I plow through my To-Read Stack, but that doesn’t stop me from adding books to my I’d-Like-To-Buy List. Has anyone read “The Calamity Club” by Katheryn Stockett? Considering adding this to my wishlist. Definitely adding Maggie O’Farrell’s new novel “Land” to my wishlist.
Here’s a good skincare habit to pick up from the Australians this summer.
Full disclosure: I’ve never been a fan of Bill Gates. And so, I was not disappointed to see this article about the cracks appearing in his public image. I was, however, mystified at the revelation that he keeps “a custom-size mannequin to test his outfits for different days of the week.”
Um, wow. Look at this incredible Airbnb on the Amalfi Coast. That swimming pool! That patio! The serene bedrooms!
It’s cool to have an older car these days.
Speaking of incredible places to stay, Design Within Reach renovated a century-old boat house on Shelter Island, and it’s beautiful (of course). Lucky us, we can stay there! (Probably for a small fortune.)
This is a basement apartment? Wowzers. It’s lovely!
There have been several times that I’ve stumbled across an influencer’s account on Instagram and been met with countless images and videos of dreamy vacation destinations. Their grid conveys a luxurious life of travel. That could be coming to a grinding halt as some countries, like Indonesia, crack down on influencers creating content without obtaining a visa.
A new platform called Pineapple just made unbookable travel, well, bookable.
Whoa these public toilets in London are surprisingly lovely! The artwork in the tile is very fun. (Curious how long they stayed pristine after opening, tho.)
Dua Lipa’s travel recommendations are now on your phone.
May our weekends be just like this.
A friendly heads up that Amazon Affiliate links lurk in this post. If you choose to make a purchase, thank you kindly! I may earn a small commission. But chances are I’ll probably just keep missing the mark because I am the worst influencer.