Savoring simple daily pleasures
I had planned to get into a deeper dive into nutrition and a few gems and lessons I've learned along my journey so far.
However, its been a huge week in our household, and several events gave me pause to take a long look and truly evaluate all I appreciate and value in my everyday.
So here are a few thoughts and ponderings of Petits Plaisirs I am fortunate to experience, and savor, in my everyday. These little jewels are such a poinignant reminder of the preciousness of life, and the abundant joys within it.
The communal garden thrush.
I adore these perky little birds. Their song is so uplifting and pure when they are in the trees or in flight, but they are poised, quiet and watchful when busily looking for a juicy worm or scratching in the dust. Their posture lengthening their necks as their beady eyes watch me, admiring their plump, flecked breasts.
Toadstools
We have had a lengthy period of very wet, mild weather—perfect for mushrooms to sprout! Ever since I was a little girl, toadstools of all shapes and sizes have been fairy villages to me. I would get lost in my imagination of the tiny worlds tucked away in the cluster of delicate, spongy, velvety softness. I still find them enchanting and can't pass them on a walk without peering closely and, usually, snapping a picture.
Morning routine
Weekend or weekday, the ritual of being the first downstairs (Usually), drinking down a tall glass of water, brewing a strong coffee and greeting the cats, who patiently await their breakfast and to be let out- honoring their own rituals too, of grooming one another as I prepare their food. Albie patiently waiting to clean up whatever his sister leaves in her dish, and then wait to be let out to assume their positions on the deck during their morning ablutions. I find it so rewarding and grounding to start my day in such a peaceful way, with two fury bals of energy and love.... and great coffee.
After Dinner Kitchen Reset
It's not so much that I enjoy doing the dishes after dinner, but I do enjoy restoring order to the kitchen. Making sure everything is clean and put away and calm and in its place, ready for a new day. I usually involuntarily let out a deep sigh when I finally hang the dishtowel up and admire the empty countertop and scrubbed sink. Then its time for peppermint tea.
Daily walks
I've always walked a lot- even when I was at Grammar School, I belonged to a hiking club where we'd go tracking over the Brecon Beacons and various parts of perpetually damp and beautiful Wales at weekends. I think if I was to pinpoint a time it became an essential daily ritual for body and mind, It would probably be during the Pandemic. I'd get my work done for the day, no doubt the bread would be proving or the baking cooling, and at around 2pm every day I would go for a walk - regardless of the weather. It was something I looked forward to and increased in duration over several weeks. These walks became a lynchpin of my days, and the habit and pleasure has continued.
Fresh Sheets
Not daily- although wouldn't that be nice! But a weekend pleasure is climbing into fresh sheets after a bath or a shower with my book, and if I'm lucky, a cat.
Makeup
I actually really enjoy applying my makeup in the morning. I find it quite creative, and it feels like I am ready for whatever the day has in store. I also enjoy the pleasure of removing it at night and taking a hot shower when everything is tidied up and done for the day.
Breakfast
I think it has to be my favorite meal of the day, and on a more leisurely morning, I love creating a nutritious smoothie, garnishing it would something crunchy and good, or plating up a beautifully balanced bowl of yoghurt and berries, or a sumptuous and decadent stack of pancakes drizzled with maple. Its such a treat on the handful of evenings a year that, for whatever reason- perhaps after lunch out and a matinee theatre performance, or an extra long day- Indulge in breakfast for dinner!
Mowing the lawns
The scent of the just-cut grass, the company of the cats making sure I keep the standards up, and the enormous satisfaction of seeing them all trim and tidy with the fresh scent still lingering.
Pillowy Pizza Dough
I don't make this daily, but certainly regularly. When Ive been organised to make the dough early in the morning and let it prove all day while we are out- the yeasty smell permeates the house in the afternoon, then I lift the teatowel that's been covering it and punch down the pouffy dome. So satisfying.
Sunrises
In fact, make that sunrises, sunsets and clouds. Im an unapologetic sky gazer- the ever-changing beauty and vastness is utterly captivating.
0 $type={blogger}