For some people, the kitchen table is the heart of their home. For me, it’s the coffee table. Where everything I’m interested in or gravitate to or can’t do without eventually shows up. 

Moleskine Daily Diary with a soft red cover. Because I log what I do every day: what I’ve read, my worries, the weather, memorable quotes, whether I walked or did yoga, random thoughts, and maybe a poem fragment. And sometimes a drawing.

The latest issue of Bon Appetit. Because even though I never have ingredients like gochugaru on hand, nor do I have a clutch of hipster/creative-class friends ready for an effortless, impromptu outdoor picnic in my mostly dirt backyard, I’m a sucker for the dream. 

Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Because every time I read a segment, I feel like I could become a better person.

The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature by J. Drew Lanham. Because this South Carolina writer makes me want to explore, know more. 

And today, pink zinnias. Because as Oscar Wilde said, “With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?” 

Nikki Hardin is a writer of stories, musings, and memories. Her poetry has been published in Riverteeth Journal. She was the founder and publisher of skirt!, a monthly women’s magazine in Charleston, South Carolina. You can reach her at nikki@thedailynikki.com.