When I first opened the puzzle and saw the word Sheep, my mind immediately went to "Farm" or perhaps "Wool." It’s the most logical starting point. I thought maybe the category would be "Things that provide fabric" or "Livestock." I was leaning toward a nature-based theme, perhaps something to do with agriculture.

Then the second clue, Stars, popped up. This threw a bit of a wrench in the "Farm" theory. You don't find stars on a farm—well, you do, but they aren't unique to it. I started thinking about "Nighttime." You count sheep to fall asleep at night, and you look at stars at night. I almost guessed "Things seen in the dark," but I hesitated because stars are technically there during the day; we just can't see them.

The real "Aha!" moment came with the third clue: Blessings. You don't see blessings in the dark, but there is a very famous idiom: "Count your blessings." I immediately looked back at the first two clues. You "count" sheep to sleep, and you "count" the stars in the sky. The word "Count" was the connective tissue I was looking for.

To be absolutely sure, I waited for the fourth clue, Calories. This solidified it perfectly. People spend a massive amount of time counting calories for their diets. It fit the pattern of "Things you count" perfectly. By the time Votes appeared as the final clue, it was just a victory lap. Whether it’s a local election or a boardroom meeting, you tally and count votes to find a winner. The commonality wasn't what these things *are*, but rather what we *do* with them.