Feeling a bit down? Help yourself to some ordinary pleasures and savor them!
I’ve had my share of necessary losses,
Of dreams I know no longer can come true.
I’m done now with the whys and the becauses.
It’s time to make things good, not just make do.
It’s time to stop complaining and pursue
The pleasures of an ordinary life.
— Judith Viorst
Recently I heard a snatch of a lively song that tickled my fancy… and fortunately, I was able to capture the artist and song title. Today I found it on Youtube.com and it set my feet to tapping, got me laughing out loud and dancing a jig in my head. Listen for yourself: Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland. It’s hard to hold on to a bad mood while listening to that tune…
And, once again, a simple pleasure rescues my psyche from the doldrums… Must remember – lively music helps my mood. Here’s another one that lights up the happy in me by the Zac Brown Band, Lil Bit of Chicken Fried:
It’s the simple things in life that mean the most
Not where you live or what you drive or the price tag on your clothes
There’s no dollar sign on a piece of mind this I’ve come to know.
A Line Up of Ordinary Pleasures
What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.
— Crowfoot
Besides happy tunes, what else lifts my spirits out of the ho-hums? Here are some happy flashes that come to mind:
- Fresh shucked peas and corn on the cob slathered in butter
- The giant white and pink Gerber Daisy on a twisted stem that I bought for myself on our wedding anniversary when I remembered that my late husband would have encouraged me to… he was good at that.
- The smell of good coffee waiting for me in the morning
- A ceramic coffee mug that just fits my hand
- A good idea I can use immediately
- A yardsale find like the bright kiwi green Waechtersbach cereal bowl
I recently scored for a whopping 50 cents – the color and form caught my eye and I knew, I LIKE that. (Which made me think that I’d create a “Pleases Me Shelf” for lovelies I like… or maybe I’ll just use it to hold my earrings – we shall see.)
- A moment and more of playing with my artist’s supplies
- A good beach book (Just finished the J.A. Jance novel, Lying in Wait
; I’m a fan of the J.P. Beaumont mystery series.)
- A shady waterside table on a balmy summer afternoon
- Other people’s puppies
- My morning paper, especially the important stuff like the comics and horoscopes
Judith Viorst penned the following list for herself: Sun lighting a child’s hair… A friend’s embrace… Slow dancing in a safe and quiet place… In what my hands can touch, my eyes can see… Ties that hold and heal us… And the sweet, sweet pleasures of an ordinary life.
What a lovely phrase: Ties that hold and heal… Makes me feel good just saying it in my mind.
And surely you remember Julie Andrew’s rendition of “My Favorite Things”: Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens… Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens… Brown paper packages tied up with strings… These are a few of my favorite things.
Well, for her 69th birthday, Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan’s Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP and sang a revised version: Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting…Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings… Bundles of magazines tied up in string… These are a few of my favourite things.
Ah, what we have to look forward to!
Wishing You a Parade…
Should you find yourself drifting into the blahs, I wish you a parade of ordinary pleasures…
A fresh pot of coffee you didn’t make yourself
An unexpected phone call from an old friend
Green stoplights on your way to work
The fastest line at the grocery store
A good sing-along song on the radio
Your keys found right where you left them— Unknown
Processing... 
Posts
Comments