*BEEEEP* your alarm clock abruptly rings at 6:00 am for the fifth time this week, the umpteenth time of your career. Begrudgingly, you maneuver off your mattress to make your coffee, commute to work, and whether it’s a good day or bad day at work, it doesn’t really matter. They’ve all started to fade together and you’ve realized the years have slipped through your fingertips. Welcome to your life.
Waiting for the weekends, waiting for the holidays, waiting for summer break, it can seem as if life is a series of waiting. Waiting for a raise, waiting to pay off your loan, waiting for good weather. It can all seem a bit, monotonous—you’ve been through this before. So if life is a continuous series of passing go and collecting $200 (monopoly ref), why can’t we seem to enjoy more of it?
For starters, we are constantly conditioned through social media and advertising to never be happy with what we have. If we could just have this new iPhone, headset, car, jacket, you name it, our lives would be *perfect.* Hopelessly, whenever we acquire that new thing, we go back to wanting the next new thing. With this in mind, how can we resolve what we truly desire while being happy with what we have?
The funny thing is, what if I told you that you already have everything you desire? It’s all right there in front of you. I’ll share a quote I came across on LinkedIn today:
“Your terrible job is the dream of the unemployed.
Your house is the dream of the homeless.
Your health is the dream of the ill.
Your lifestyle is the dream of somebody else.
Don’t let difficult times make you forget your blessings.”
Unknown source
Sunrises, that perfect sip of coffee, noticing someone’s genuine smile when you enter the room—there is so much beauty and opportunity in every day we can get used to taking it for granted. The goal is to enjoy each day you are given to the fullest, because you never know when it may be your last. There is no reason we can’t enjoy every day. Sure, there will be bad moments, but there is at least some good in every day. Simple pleasures are the key to enjoying the repetition of life. Don’t let your life slip away by waiting for something that may never even come. To experience joy and happiness in each day is a way to show gratitude for the gracious gift of a day you were given. Learn to love the repetition of life by enjoying small things that bring you joy every day.
With all my emphasis on simple pleasures, I am not negating hard work, which is paramount to achieve your goals. But try looking at hard work as a blessing, not as a chore. You owe it to yourself to work hard and achieve all your ambitions. I’ve realized that life is an elegant equanimity of pushing myself to be better with being content with where I am. In other words, work hard, play hard(er).
So what are some simple pleasures you do to enjoy every last ounce of life? Share them in the comments below and we can get ideas of what others do as well!
Here are some simple daily pleasures (minimum effort+minimum cost) I do throughout my week:
- Finding a new song I love
- Enjoying my favorite cup of peppermint tea
- Making a homemade dinner for my family
- Trying out new vegetarian recipes
- Meeting a new friend
- Eating dessert first
- Spending a couple hours writing in a quaint cafe
- Crushing a hard workout
- Rock climbing a new route
- Noticing something I’ve never noticed that I pass every day
- Re-reading passages of my favorite book (A Little Larger Than the Entire Universe by Fernando Pessoa)
- Finding a new book I can’t wait to read
- Homemade pancakes on the weekend (beet pancakes are the best!)
- Wearing my favorite outfit
- Wearing pajamas all day
- Daily morning vinyasa yoga practice
- Taking artistic photos
- Doing a face mask
- Taking a long, hot shower
- Going to bed early
- Watching a show of my favorite stand-up comedian
- Reading a book or watching a documentary about my favorite animal (wolves are the best)
- Going on a hike to relax in nature
- Spending quality time with my pet—a friend’s pet works too 😉
- Catching up with my best friend
- Watching a movie with friends and/or family
P.S. The featured photo is one of me as a little girl cerca 2000, a tribute to finding joy in the simple things, as children so naturally and so beautifully do. Namaste!
For ideas surrounding the struggles we face making decisions, read my blog called “The Paralysis of ‘I Don’t Know'” found at: https://wiseandshinezine.com/2020/03/10/the-paralysis-of-i-dont-know/
My personal blog can be found here: http://www.poemsandprose.travel.blog