Pleasures

There are many things in life that give me pleasure(enjoyment or satisfaction). On a hot summer day, a glass of pure cold water or sweet/tart lemonade, a slice of red ripe watermelon. On a cold winter's day, homemade soup and fresh baked bread, a mug of spiced cider or hot chocolate(heavy on the marshmallows please) put a smile on my face. Autumn leaves swirling in the wind, the first daffodils of spring.......

my nephew Jordan's smile when he walks in my front door, all the dogs greeting me when I come in from work.

A warm kind hug from a friend who loves me, a call from someone whose voice I haven't heard in awhile, an e-mail from someone letting me know they were thinking of me, a comment from one of you who read this blog. It really is the little things in life that give the most pleasure, the big things that you work so hard for, they happen......and then it's over, and life goes on. But the little day to day pleasures, that is what I hold in my heart. Those are the things that lift my spirit, that leave me feeling so grateful that I am alive.

Since I am rereading The Power of Now(for the 4th time) I am reminded of the fact that it really is the journey, not the destination. The journey is taking place now, it is the interaction of all things good and bad, the sweet and the not so sweet. Speaking of sweet, every night after dinner, Rick and I have a piece of dark luscious chocolate. You know the kind, that melts on your tongue ever so slowly, that has the body and richness of a mellow Cabernet. I eat very little sugar, but that dark chocolate, that is one of my guilty little pleasures and I savor every bite of that small square.

Life is full of pleasures when you think about it, a long hot bath after a long day. Clean fresh sheets, a good book, a great movie, an evening with friends or family, a lick on the face from a happy dog, a meal that is shared, a walk through the woods, watching the sunset, seeing shooting stars stream across the night sky.

The words I Love You, spoken from the heart, shared giggles and shared tears, knowing that you are cared about, when deep down in your heart you don't feel very lovable. A good night's sleep and a nap on a rainy afternoon, the smell of rain on dry dirt, the first snowfall of the winter and how clean the air smells, and all the colors of grey as the snow gently drifts down to earth.

So tonight, my friends, think about your pleasures, maybe it's the way your partner kisses your lips as though they were fragile crystal, or Sunday waffles, or the smell of fresh coffee in the early morning light. When you allow yourself to list all those little pleasures, the list really grows, I could keep going for sometime. The next time you have a bad day, list your pleasures,

that day will get better, I promise.