Savouring simple daily pleasures
I am grateful you have found me and my little corner of calm, peace, and contentment.
In finding this you must be someone who cares about the things I care about- and value gentleness, mother nature, and all the small, good things life has to offer.
Have you ever noticed that if you consciously start your day with positivity- an uplifting thought, more begin to flow naturally?
Much like priming a pump, once you have one, another will follow as your mind travels and then a steady trickle will develop, and continue to flow through your day.
If a situation arises that might cause this to wane, take a pause, breathe, and begin again- and sure enough, you'll find, with practice, it gets easier and easier to get back on track, and stay breezy, positive and grateful.
I have employed this method throughout the last enormously busy week especially, making this morning's longed-for little outing even more special, appreciated, and wonderous.
The week has been a blur of schedules taking me across town in peak traffic daily, long days, longer evenings, and a juggle of running a home alongside it all. Snatching up the few moments spare on a commute to listen to something gentle, positive, uplifting, or funny, has really helped. Staying present and being mindful, having good conversations, and spending time with one of my daughters, have all contributed to this being a week I have enjoyed and savored not just coped with and "got through" as I might have allowed in the past.
Today has been like a balm for my soul; I woke at first light, and after a strong coffee enjoyed with my cats I took a long leisurely walk up to our village, pausing frequently along the way to observe a flower, take a photo, or greet an acquaintance. I sat people-watching with a creamy coffee, before strolling to the artisan bakery to collect freshly baked pastries to take home for a breakfast treat. En route home, I passed near a little flower stall, situated just off the main street, and in my relaxed, slower state of mind, decided to take a slight detour to see if there were any bouquets or posies left. Happily, there was just one remaining in the little wooden booth, in its mason jar of water- it was meant to be.
I felt like I was walking through a beautifully written description in a novel as I made my way the last kilometer or so home, clutching my paper bag of pastries in one hand, and the wildflowers wrapped in brown paper and sting in the other.
The entire excursion had been so very simple, so ordinary- and yet so special, exactly when I needed to soothe the hecticness of the past week.
I began this post when I first returned, then got distracted, so returned to it just now, after a simple, leisurely al fresco dinner of grilled chicken, crispy garlic new potatoes, and a big green salad. The joy keeps on bubbling- a skein of geese flew overhead moments ago, honking their calls to one another as they traveled into the setting sunlight, and now, as the light fades, a bright glorious almost full moon is just peeking through the blossom laden trees in a blush pink sky. The birds are settling for the night, the crickets are starting their Chirruping stridulations, the air is still and fresh after the heat of the day, and my cool, crisp freshly made bed awaits me.
I would be hard-pressed to conjure up a more perfect day to recover and reset from such a week.
Feeling an abundance of gratitude, and a little fizz of joyful anticipation for another equally beautiful day tomorrow.
I have a little exercise for you to try when you have a moment-
Set a timer for 1 minute and write down everything you are grateful for right now.
Now set the timer once more, and this time write down everything you'd be grateful for if you knew you'd never have it again.
Go on, try it. Shift your focus and feel the depth of the well of gratitude and abundance.
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