A Few Simple Pleasures

Working on the 1000-piece puzzle I got for Christmas, while listening to the Dean Martin CDs I also received as a Christmas gift. (Yes, Dean Martin. I love the Rat Pack).

Even better: having my husband work on the puzzle with me. It really is a very fun and satisfying feeling to complete sections together and we’re chatting away the entire time.

The sunshine pouring in through the windows. It’s amazing the good a few rays of sun can do.

Baking a cake while listening to music and dancing around the kitchen.

Eating a piece of said cake when my husband gets home from work, along with a hot tea and wonderful conversation.

A long Skype call with my family. Actually, almost any call from family. Skype just makes it even more fun.

Hysterical laughter with my sister and brother. Hysterical laughter with my husband. The best? Hysterical laughter with all three of them.

A game of scrabble with my mom, grandma and sister, while my brother looks on, inventing words and giving their ‘definitions’ with scary credibility. Laughter is unavoidable.

The mingled satisfaction and melancholy at reading the last word of a great book.

The joy of picking up a new book, or of re-reading a long lost favorite.

The creases in the binding of an oft re-read and much loved novel.

Watching a good movie while snuggled up under a blanket on the couch.

Christmas.

The sound of running water in nature – a stream, a brook, a river…

The sound of waves on the sand.

A crisp, clear blue sky on a cold winter’s day.

Writing all of these in my notebook with a pencil I’ve worn down from all my scribblings.

I could add many, many more and maybe I will some other day, but for today I leave you with these. Don’t overlook the simple pleasures; often the simplest of things turn out to be the greatest and most worthwhile.

Remember to embrace the little things in life – they’re the ones that make up the big picture.