After a week of rainy, windy weather (and the threat of a serious hurricane that thankfully turned east instead of west), I took a walk through the garden to see what was left. Not much! I can no longer put off the autumn cleanup. I did discover a few hardy stragglers, though, and was glad to collect a small bouquet of pink roses, white anemone, and purple beautyberry—just enough to bring some cheer into the house. It really doesn’t take much to create a spot of beauty, and it serves well to divert my attention from the inevitable hassles of the day-to-day (a coughing virus, a dispute with the insurance company, a pair of misplaced glasses). I am constantly putting lovely distractions in my path—delicate shells in the bathroom, garden flowers above the kitchen sink, pictures of my laughing grandsons on the refrigerator. These remind me that there is more in the world than my worries and help me cultivate those all-important feelings of gratitude and ease.