Today I am thinking about simple pleasures, those activities that aren't necessary to keep life functioning, but that are essential for daily happiness. When we moved from California to Utah 21 years ago, I missed the simple pleasures of taking my kids to the parks and to the beaches. People said, "Oh, the mountains are awesome." But it just didn't feel the same.
Now we have moved again (still in Utah but down the road a ways) and I am missing the simple pleasures of my life in our old neighborhood. Good friends, our backyard garden oasis, fruit trees, the sound of birds waking us up and putting us to sleep at night. On top of that, my mom died this year and I miss the simple pleasure of our weekly phone calls. My husband and I are on a strict diet essential for our health and I miss the joy of drinking massive quantities of diet Coke while I write. Silly, isn't it? I have everything I need, but I am looking for some new simple pleasures to replace the ones that I've lost.
Got any ideas for me? What simple pleasures do you most enjoy?
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Charlie! :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you find your own simple pleasures KarenG! Take care
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I feel for you about mourning what you've lost when you move. From 1994-2001, I moved five times. Just as I'd get used to the nooks and crannies of a particular place, I'd be uprooted. Each place had the parts I loved. It turns out that no place has everything any of us love. Each place is a compromise.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for your mother. That loss will take years to get over, if ever.
What simple pleasures do I enjoy? Reading a book at the beach under an umbrella, snuggling with my daughter, watching a movie with my husband, riding my cute bicycle, taking a walk on the river. Having a day to myself to write or not to write, a good cup of coffee, my cat snuggling on my lap with a good cup of coffee, going out to dinner at place that has outdoor seating on a perfect night.
When things go wrong in my life, sometimes all I have are the little things.
It will be hard and it may take longer than you'd like, but you'll make grooves in your new place. Seek them out.
Theresa, Thank you, and I loved reading about your own simple pleasures. Many of mine used to involve food, which is what got me and my husband in this place to begin with. We are trying to find replacements!
ReplyDeleteKitty, Maybe I should get a cat?
I too made the move from CA to Utah 21 years ago this Oct, so I can relate to your missing the Ocean. There are days when I long for the the Salt spray from the waves on my skin and the warm sand between my toes.....but I have so many wonderful pleasures now in my mountain valley home that I soon forget how homesick I am for the Beaches. My simple pleasures now hmmm, sitting outside late and being in Awe (still) of all the stars I can see that were missing when I lived in the city, getting up early to watch the sunrise from my porch as I sip my morning cup of coffee in the peacefulness of a small town still sleeping. I hope soon you too find new simple pleasures, they are everywhere you just have to be open to them....and then you will find them.
ReplyDeleteTracie, That was lovely! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI miss the ocean and beaches too. Yes, the mountains here in Santa Fe are beautiful, but my soul wants the ocean. Simple pleasures are the best. One of mine is getting stuff free!
ReplyDeleteYes, get a cat!
ReplyDeleteIs there a book about good places to walk/hike? That might get you out. What about joining a book club at your new library or exploring the town to check out the new shops? Perhaps you can even help out at some local charity one afternoon. Keep your mind off food!
I moved from the ocean and mountains 9 years ago to the mines (I wish I could say there's still gold dust and diamonds to be picked but alas). Johannesburg is one of the greenest cities in the world but it is flat and oceanless. I miss the sea dreadfully. I am so sorry to hear of your mom's passing Karen.
ReplyDeleteMy little pleasures are: we are a family of five and I love dancing with my girls, all the girls love music and dance and the boys are left footed, we love reading together although the two year old normally reads through torn pages, picnics, buying books, my blogs, balmy evenings on the patio and catching a quiet moment with my hubby for drinks.
It is always those little things that don't seem important at the time, until you are robbed of them. Like my Iced Tea.
ReplyDeleteJerry, And my diet Coke. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteWendy, Your little pleasures sound delightful!
Theresa, I enjoy walking around this area, it's quite a lot nicer than where I used to live, and my husband and I have been spending more time together since we left our friends behind. I think generally it's been a positive thing :)
Some of the simple pleasures in my life are: Singing "If you're happy and you know it..." with my daughter and coming up with sillier ways to show how happier we are, taking a long walk in the morning and watching the sunrise, taking my daughter to the pool and watching her hold court from the top step, a book that completely takes me by surprise, and a wonderful, relaxing yoga class.
ReplyDeleteSome of the little pleasures that I miss: being about to go out to lunch as often as I desire (I love to try new restaurants, but I don't have as much disposable income as I once had), spending hours in a bookstore or coffee shop, playing World of Warcraft (I was a heck of a priestess!) and going to Pete's Fish and Chips with my grandma.
When I decided to stop drinking Coke (I went back but that is not the point--LOL), I found a tea company with unique flavors like chocolate and fruity and minty. It helped to have the variety (the company I found was White August Tea Company).
Shanan (new follower)
http://thebookaddictnet.blogspot.com/