I've always loved the quote from Anne of Avonlea, where Anne and Gilbert are talking about their ambitions, how Gilbert wants to be a doctor because he thinks it is the noblest profession possible, and Anne says, "I'd like to add some beauty to life ... I don't exactly want to make people know more ... though I know that is the noblest ambition ... but I'd love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me ... to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn't been born."

When I think about adding Beauty to Life, I panic, because that requires something Grand and Noble. But beauty to life ... smiling at the cashier at the grocery store, chatting with the librarian at the desk about my eclectic book choices, sending an encouraging word to a friend even through FB or Twitter ... that I can do. And usually, after a while, those little steps help make me feel more confident to tackle the capitalized Beauty again.