What goes into a good mood

I was working on my new novel and went from page 51 to 56...and it came easily. The 5 pages passed in a nice writerly haze. Out of nowhere, I remembered a conversation with my father when I was 8 or 9. I'd come across a Judy Blume quote - "Write from the heart" - and thought it was the best piece of writing advice ever...and then my dad said, "But then it runs all risk of becoming maudlin"...I think it's best to keep both things in mind. I felt I was writing from the heart without being maudlin :) I also looked up the word out of curiosity about its exact meaning, and learned that it derived from Mary Magdalen, who was often described as a "tearful penitent"...

Then I saw Sarah on the street. She is an amazing gray miniature schnauzer, with beautiful brown eyes. She was very calm, "tuckered out" at the end of her walk, her owner said. She is one of my favorites. I remember when she was a puppy, just a ball of pure energy.

Then I actually had a good time at Whole Foods! I said to D once, you have to keep your wits about you or you'll lose a limb. I go there anyway, because their 365 brand is a good deal...89 cents for a pound of penne, 69 cents for a can of cannellini. It wasn't too busy so there wasn't all the tension and hissed "excuse me"s through gritted teeth. A couple were dancing and singing along with the "doo wah diddy" from the sound system. They were doing it in that fun way where they really didn't care what anyone thought. And the cashier was cheerful...he was telling his neighbor that British people always say "cheers", so he does the same with them...when my time was up, he said, "See you later, alligator." I also inadvertently pushed my shopping cart out of the store, and then I realized my mistake and went back. The security guard was laughing and said it was amusing.