Sometimes I equate my Simple Joys as “finding my Happy Place”. But it is even much simpler than that. Simple Joys is a combination of exhaling and allowing the good around you to seep in and color your day or hour.
Life is difficult, a struggle, a constant pull on our resources. Simple Joys are the moments that soften the day, bring a smile or laughter, and make breathing easier.
In short, Simple Joys make life a pleasure.
Now, without further ado, is this week’s Simple Joys.
Hair Salon. I’m not a high maintenance woman. I don’t shop a lot, do not collect handbags or designer clothing, nor do I get mani/pedis. I’m not against women who do these things, I just don’t fall into any of those categories.
But, the one thing I am consistent about is getting my hair done. I make an appointment regularly, put it on my calendar, and make a commitment to keep my appointment.
This is MY time. I am pampered, read “girly” magazines which, upon reading the word I just typed I feel I must explain means women’s magazines like Glamour and Vogue not Playboy and Hustler!
I leave the salon feeling reenergized, feeling gorgeous, and with an innate knowledge that I am worth the small amount of time I spend away from my family to outwardly beautify and inwardly nourish myself. That is a Simple Joy I have treated myself to for well over twenty years!
Princess Find. My two and a half year old daughter has succumbed to a love of Disney Princesses. I don’t mind encouraging the adoration as it is a rite of passage for young girls.
I’ve written before of her love of the movie Tangled, the Disney telling of the Rapunzel story. Recently at Target discount stores the flyer in the Sunday paper advertised a toddler Rapunzel doll with matching costume for the child in one package. It retails for $35, a steep price for my budget, but was on sale for $30 and, with the coupon in the circular, was half-price!
I got to the store immediately and got my daughter the doll and costume of her dreams for $15! She loves both and I enjoy the Simple Joy of watching my daughter revel in her new favorite doll and outfit!
Dinner. There are family dinners at our home that consist of a protein, a vegetable, and a starch. They are wonderful meals that keep us connected as a family and make me feel like a good mom for feeding my family a nutritious, well-balanced meal.
But my favorite dinner is the one we have at the spur of the moment. After we agree we want something easy and yummy with no muss or fuss we pop some microwave popcorn, cut up some apples, and, if we’re particularly hungry, add some delicious cheese like New York Extra Sharp Cheddar. We spread out an old tablecloth in the family room, sit down together, and have a picnic!
The five of us crunch, munch, and share a fun-filled dinner on the floor, laughing, watching something fun on the television, and just relaxing. No one is cajoled into eating; they are thrilled with the menu. Clean-up is easy and we all equally enjoy the Simple Joy of the relaxed dinner.
Movie. Periodically we take our children to the movies to watch a kid-friendly flick. Our youngest is the variable and sometimes we get a sitter for her so the rest of us can enjoy the movie without walking out in the lobby for most of it.
Recently, though, we just decided to plow through with her, hoping she would be wrapped up in the story. We were rewarded over the weekend when we took the family to see Mirror, Mirror, a live action retelling of Snow White with Julia Roberts.
The child sat enraptured through the entire show! The film was fun, funny, and entertaining, and we see now that we’ll be able to enjoy movies in the theater from time to time! Watching a movie from start to finish with my entire family in the theater is a Simple Joy I can easily get used to and feel lucky to experience!
Honey Crisp Apples. Normally a treat during September and October only, Honey Crisp apples have found their way into my grocery store in the spring! They are crispy, sweet, and sublime. My entire family loves them and snacks on them all week, every week. I can’t believe my good fortune to have found Honey Crisp apples this time of year and revel in the Simple Joy of keeping them in my refrigerator for consuming any time the mood strikes!
Simple Joys in my life run the gamut from life-altering to convenience-inducing. Sometimes it is monumental and other times fleeting, but all of the Simple Joys add up to creating a wonderful life.
The best part is, no matter if you’d consciously experienced Simple Joys or not, it’s never too late to invite them into your life.
I write mine down to remind myself that life is far better than a bad mood would let on in any given day.
Whether you write them down or mentally acknowledge them, Simple Joys begin to multiply exponentially once you identify them.
Wishing you a day and week filled with Simple Joys!
Please join me tomorrow as I wax poetic on yet another topic on Chief 187™Chatter.
I like apples and kiddy laughter.
ReplyDeleteFinding out the plum tree in my Mum's garden I transplanted last fall has signs of leaves about to shoot. :-)
ReplyDeleteRelish & enjoy those princess outfits, all too soon they have either outgrown the princesses or the outfits. One of my all time favorite photos of my almost 12 year old daughter is her in her Belle outfit, complete with crown, shoes and scepter (yes, I know Belle didn't have any of those things). With her brown hair and sparkling eyes she WAS Belle... I look fondly BACK at those moments.
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