In a tall oak at the edge of the forest lived a squirrel named Nutmeg, who had a habit of counting everything she didn't have.
"Acorn Cousin has twice as many nuts as me," she'd mutter, peering into her own half-full stash. "And Hazel's nest is bigger, and softer, and higher up where the sun hits first."
Every morning started the same way: Nutmeg woke up, took stock of her small pile of acorns, her modest nest, her ordinary view — and felt a little smaller for it.
One gray, drizzly morning, Nutmeg noticed a mourning dove named Coo perched on a low branch, humming softly to herself. Coo owned almost nothing — no stash of acorns, no cozy nest lined with leaves, just a simple branch and the sky above her. And yet she seemed like the happiest creature in the whole forest.
"How can you be so cheerful?" Nutmeg asked, hopping closer. "You barely have anything."
Coo tilted her head and smiled. "I have three good things every morning," she said. "Would you like to hear today's?"
Nutmeg, curious despite herself, nodded.
"One," said Coo, "the sun is warm on my feathers right now. Two, this branch held me steady all through last night's wind. Three — you said hello to me, and that made my morning better."
Nutmeg sat with that for a moment. "That's it? Just... noticing things?"
"That's the whole secret," Coo said. "I used to count what I was missing, too. Now I count what's already here."
Feeling a little silly, Nutmeg decided to try it. She looked around her tree. "One," she said slowly, "this branch is exactly the right size for my paws. Two, the wind smells like rain, and I like that smell. Three... Coo is sitting near me, and I don't feel so alone."
Something small shifted in Nutmeg's chest — not a big, dramatic change, just a little more room to breathe.
The next morning, before she could start counting Acorn Cousin's bigger stash, Nutmeg caught herself. "One," she began instead, "I have a stash that will keep me fed all winter. Two, my nest kept me warm and dry last night. Three, I get to see Coo again today."
It didn't make her stash bigger or her nest any higher up the tree. But somehow, counting her three good things each morning left Nutmeg feeling like she already had enough — because, she realized, she always had.
And every day after that, rain or shine, Nutmeg and Coo greeted the morning the same way: with three small gifts, freely given by an ordinary day.
