Day 158 of 365 - Simple Pleasures

This past weekend, we visited our grandson, who is not yet two years old.  We had a lovely family visit and dinner.  Although he was not much interested in dinner, he certainly relished his dessert.  We were having Portuguese tarts and cake, both custard filled.

He slowly dragged his fingers through the custard, scooping it to his mouth to gently pull in to his tongue.  His focus and concentration were deep.  The look on his face was sheer bliss.  He ate two servings, the same size as the adults were having!  Afterwards, with custard smeared on his hands and face and a full, round belly, he looked like a little Bhudda.

Simple things bring great joy.  Sometimes I forget that.  Watching children and animals can remind us though.  Think of a cat, languorously grooming themselves;  or, a dog, lapping up a generous drink of refreshing water;  the sound of birds twittering in the trees;  the beauty of a bunch of tulips just starting to open.

We have five amazing basic sensory abilities, which we often take for granted until one of them goes awry.  We expect our bodies and our sensations to keep up their good work and to easily carry us through the tasks of our days.

But how often do we take a little time to really appreciate our senses?  I for one, am often guilty of quickly eating a meal which I may have spent a couple of hours preparing.  Even though I may have enjoyed the cooking process, I probably could have enjoyed the tastes, smells and textures of my food more, just by slowing down, and felt even more satisfied as a result.  I'm going to try to remember that when I eat tonight's dinner.

Appreciating our senses does not need to take a lot of time, though it certainly can if you wish.  Slowly smoothing lotion on your skin after a bath or shower can be a lovely sensation of touch.  Watching a sunrise or sunset for several minutes can calm the mind.  Listening to soothing music can shift us into a mellow mood.  Intentionally slowing down our rate of breathing also has a meditative effect.

Just reading through that again makes me want to lie down and take a rest.  Which also reminds me that, if we are not able to directly experience those soothing sensations for some reason, imagining them can be equally pleasant.

As the cold wind blows outside my window, I can clearly imagine lying curled up on a blanket on a sun drenched beach, a soft, warm breeze caressing my skin, the sound of the waves gently lapping at the shore.  Lovely!

What simple pleasures might you experience today to bring you joy?






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