I read that you'll be happier as you age in proportion to your ability to enjoy the simplest things.
The delight provided by small pleasures returns each time I enjoy:
Toast
A yard full of lilac bushes
Thunderstorms
The smell of cedar
Twilight
Our
cat, sleeping with his paw over his eyesMangoes
Then there is this look on babies, the six-to-ten-month olds, experiencing their first brilliant summer.They gaze up from their prams, blinking, free of shoes, tiny hands curling and stretching in the sun, as if to say, "You mean there's this?"
Neil Pashrika's book "The Book of Awesome" and his web site, 1000awesomethings.com collects such simple pleasure experiences: the smell of books, popping bubble wrap, seeing somebody laugh in their sleep, bakery air, when characters in a movie visit a place you know.I don't agree with all of them (Broccoflower? Cheesy theme songs from '80s sitcoms?) But whatever butters your biscuit, baby.
What are some of yours?
I will read them avidly; then I'm off! Sincere thanks to all for reading and commenting, and enjoy the summer, season of breezes, blossoms and lemonade.
22 comments:
Have a wonderful vacation. A full month. How civilized. I am hoping to enjoy my toast in a few minutes. But I have a terrible sore throat. So right now I'd say swallowing was a simple pleasure:).
Have a fabulous rest of the summer!
One of my favorite simple pleasures is watching my dogs play and chase each other.
I'm very much looking forward to building some giant Gaudi-esque sandcastles at the beach with my nieces and nephews.
A fresh snowfall.
Thunderstorms.
The smell of freshly roasted or ground coffee.
Tulips.
Fog.
Turning off the highway into my neighborhood and coasting down the street, up the rise, and down again to my house.
Have a wonderful vacation.
A hot shower, fluffy white towels, fresh brewed coffee, and fragrant roses...to name a few.
Have a wonderful holiday.
Enjoy!!!
enjoy, dear Duchesse!
Do new shoes count? Bought on sale?
Eric, age 3, driving home from day care, asks who's at our house. When I tell him Grandma and Grandpa, he says, with expansive joyousness, "Oh My Goodness!"
Have a lovely vacation -- I've been having a simply delightful week, each day focussed on what a 20-month old might enjoy. The world through her eyes is a good place to be.
Fresh flowers forever! And increasingly, as I get older, the pleasures of scent: sandlewood; lavendar; citrus blossoms, rind and fruit; sauteed onions; baby powder; rain; the air beneath pine trees; resinous herbs; linden trees in bloom; Diorissimo; anything baked with cinnamon; real bayberry candles; fresh coffee and frying bacon; Joy; pure vanilla; wild strawberries in the sun . . . enjoy your holidays, Duchesse! I will miss your wise words.
Riding my old 6-speed Raleigh, and seeing the contentment my 14-year-old cat derives from dozing in the sun on my balcony.
Can we include a glass of crisp white wine and a bit of goat cheese on a summer salad?
Have a wonderful holiday, and we'll be interested in your discoveries, near or far.
You'll be sorely missed, ma chere, and I look forward to your return.
My simple pleasures include warm towels fresh from the dryer; petrichor (the smell of damp earth after the rain); finding seashells on the beach.
Enjoy your vacation!
I truly hope you have a very enjoyable vacation!
I love that 'warm kitty smell' when our cat licks herself in the sun...
All: Cats, young people, shells, fog and an anonymously-provided array of scents... your replies are another pleasure.
I'll miss reading your posts, but have a wonderful vacation!
In addition to watching a cat sleeping, I'd add watching a cat have a wash-up. Such a wonderful picture of well being, as well as occasionally quite comical.
First cup of coffee, good butter, good bread, black-eyed susans, old cotton sheets, down comforters, Middlemarch...just a start.
Eating good bread with good olive oil; listening to Saint-Saens' Third Symphony; reading (just about anything); sunshine. Have a lovely vacation!
Enjoy your holiday Duchesse. My favorite simple things, in no particular order: a cup of coffee, walking my dog, a fantastic read, shopping and realizing that I"m not feeling a "pull" to purchase something, listening to Mozart on the CD player, Sunday mornings.
I'm a bit late here - but what the hell I'll join in anyway.
- The first cup of tea of the morning
- Having all the children asleep
- Walking across grass barefoot
- Wearing a big cozy jumper
Have a great holiday Duchesse!
Post a Comment