Hello, friends,
My 3 Small Items of Great Delight series is back. Has it really been over six months since I last posted in this series? Seems so. This season of life doesn’t give me much time to stop and smell the roses. Plus, we were buried under snow for a few months. Literally. Then, feeling great relief once summer arrived, everyone ‘round here went outside. Gardeners gardened. Boat owners hooked up trailers. Neighbours mowed lawns, one after the other.
But now, already, the streets are quiet. Folks have escaped to camp, or left on holidays. Those of us who remain are the unofficial Neighbourhood Watch.
We watch the birds. We watch the rabbits. We watch kids bike by. We let the summer heat slow us down till we’re bored.
I’m sitting in my sunporch now, actually, keeping an eye on the quiet street.
Below, I remember the delights of the last month. I remember that this is a practice of noticing. How we must slow down to notice.
And keep scrolling to find out how you can access my newest coaching resource, weekly co-writing sessions, and how to take part in Wordstock Sudbury’s next Reading Hour.
I’d love to know what you’re noticing lately. What’s delighting your heart?
Noticing delight is an outcome of mindfulness. It comes in moments when we refuse to be led astray by obligation and mundane routine. When we agree to stop and look, taste, listen, and engage. Out of it we can build hope and art.
I could hear them before they came into view, whizzing down the sidewalk on their bikes. Local kids, free of winter finally, cycling to school on a spring morning. One stood on his pedals, coasting. The smaller one pumped his legs furiously, sitting tall on his seat.
Not so long ago, my son biked to school, too, and forty-some years ago, I did. Same town, same sidewalks. In a small town like this, biking to school doesn’t get you there much faster—biking to school means freedom. You are the power, the speed, the wind in your hair.
Last month, when the weather finally turned warm, my son, now a teen, celebrated the new season by biking to the beach with friends. The route takes you up a hill I’d never get up, no matter how hard I was pedalling (even if I could remember how to use the gears). But off he went with his friends, up the hill, into another town, off to the beach, me praying he was wearing a helmet and reminding him to leave before sunset to avoid the drivers blinded by the setting sun.
As I write this now, seated in my porch after dinner, boys are coasting by on two wheels, balancing on their seats, dangling their arms at their sides, doing wheelies, not slowing down nearly enough as they come to the stop sign. The birds sing and the bikes coast by again.
My bike sits rusty in the garage, its handlebar grips sliding off, cobwebs hanging from the seat. Someday soon, I’ll wheel it over to the garden hose and rinse it off and promise myself I’ll go for a ride. Not far. Maybe just to the school and back.
The French River. An early morning in July. I sit on the dock in the Muskoka chair, my book folded open on my lap. Instead of reading, I watch the surface of the water, mesmerized, as waterbugs skate across the water.
A fish jumps. And jumps again. Swims away with a belly full.
A loon emerges from the water. Turns its head toward me, silent as ever. Dives and disappears.
Back in May, Liisa Kovala and I headed south to host our Spring 2026 writing retreat. We were joined by four women at a beautiful bed-and-breakfast fifteen minutes from Uxbridge, Ontario.
And as writers do, we talked about writing all weekend. We talked about how to capture our ideas on page. And we talked ourselves into visiting the local indie bookstore, Blue Heron Books.
It didn’t take much convincing.
What pleasure it is to enter a well-curated bookstore, where the shelves are stocked full of books you’ve been waiting to read, books that have made a splash, and books you’ve never heard of but delight in discovering.
On a low shelf, I spied a book I had to pick up: The Chip Stand: 130 of Canada’s Iconic Food Landmarks by Chantal Bennett and Joel Kimmel. I laughed in delight.
I flipped through illustrations slowly, and wouldn’t you know? There was the old Porky’s Chip Stand in Coniston! Another illustration showed the long-competing chip stands of Sturgeon Falls, Le P’tit Riv versus Larry’s. How thrilling to see local landmarks represented!
I left the Blue Heron Books with an armful of books, including a signed copy of the latest Benjamin Stevenson book. I hope when he made an appearance there back in April everyone in this bookstore bought a book ←My book club will get that joke.
Your turn: Why are indie bookstores so magical? Leave a comment below and share a moment where you were connected entirely and suddenly with life.
I’m Dinah, multi-hyphenated supporter of storytellers and community builders. I’m a book coach-editor-college prof-strategic writer-and-sometimes-ghostwriter.
I work with nonfiction and memoir writers who want to create books that do more than share information or tell a story. They want to offer something meaningful to readers—and they want to do it well.
I’m here to help you see your book through the eyes of your readers and stay true to your message.
There are still summer spots open for coaching and manuscript assessments. Bring me your ideas, notes, or even a stalled draft. With my reader-centered coaching, you can leave with a clear, finished manuscript or book proposal ready for the readers you wrote it for.
I will help you shape what you’ve learned into a book readers will understand, trust, and use.
Book a free call to talk about your project and what you need to move ahead.
⏰ It’s Write O’Clock! • Every week, I reserve an hour for community co-writing. It’s open to all who join my online community Writing What’s Possible. In this 60-minute Zoom session, work on your writing project as you wish — write, research, outline, journal. It’s up to you. We start the call with hellos, then turn off our cameras and work, together but separate. Sessions are typically Mondays at 7 p.m. Eastern, but I’m also testing a few other time slots during the week. These sessions are free for now, so it’s a good time to check it out to see if this type of session works for you. Join us!
⚓ Ready to Write Your Signature Book? • For community builders, a signature book can become more than something you publish—it can become a way to deepen your teaching, amplify your message, and help your community understand the transformation you offer. Next week, I’m launching a new, free resource for people who are wondering if it’s time to write their signature book. In this short reflection guide and video, you can work through prompts to help you decide. I’m also offering a free 20-minute strategy call to review your responses. You’ll find this resource in the online bundle of 100+ resources in the Community to Cashflow event July 27-31 in Brenda Rigney’s Skool Scale Camp. You can join her community now and get access to all the free resources, including mine, on July 27.
👓 The Reading Hour • Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival is continuing its monthly Reading Hour, and the next one is Thursday, July 30, 6 to 7 p.m. Bring a book along with a lawn chair or blanket, and meet us at the entrance to Bell Park by the old rowing club at Elizabeth Street. We’ll find a place to read.
🎉 Save the Date • Wordstock Sudbury Literary Festival is scheduled for October 16-17, 2026 at Place des Arts. The festival lineup is being finalized now, so stay tuned! Follow the festival on Instagram and TikTok to catch the announcements, or look for Wordstock Sudbury on Substack. Early bird tickets available now for only $90.
That’s the news from the sunporch today. Be well, friends.
PS. If you feel inclined, you can order a print of your favourite chip stand in the Etsy store! Brilliant.
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