I was just reading an article describing cake making as one of the simple pleasures in life…I think I agree…non-enforced industry in the kitchen, without time pressure or any other, including that which you place on yourself, can feel like a lovely long moment in time.
And while I wouldn’t go to the extreme of the buxom spoon licking of Nigella Lawson, I like the fact that a challenge in the kitchen can culminate in a project accomplished, something to enjoy and ultimately share.
It’s in thinking about this that I ponder the other simple pleasures…those times where you step back and let life happen, rather than forcing it, rushing it, pushing to a deadline and feeling a ‘must do’ rather than a more organic collection of happiness.
And so here is my list of delights, those things that bring happiness with little effort….
Absolute soul friends: fellow mums who put motherhood in perspective, moan in empathy, laugh in irony, encourage during neediness…and embrace you warmly for foibles and small victories at the end.
Trust: knowing a person has your back, that you are watched, loved and supported, whether it’s by a friend you haven’t seen in years, but know that if you ever actually needed them, they’d be there.
Magic: That phone call from a person you’ve been thinking of right at that moment…and oh there’s so much more…
Unabated laughter: what sweeter release is there when shared?
Innocence: a two year-old bending over like an old woman inquiring “what you doing mum?”
Nature: spring orange blossoms catching you by surprise, the sound of bird song in a quiet moment when just a second ago you could hear nothing.
Words: what more delicious thing than a beautiful twist of words, a love poem by Rumi…a great conversation that started hours ago and is still going much, much later with enthusiasm and energy…
Peace in solitude: absolute contentment in your own company, pottering, happily, lost in your own space.
Uninterrupted sleep…this has to be final addition – and one that would never had made the list pre-motherhood…and while this cottage’s smaller residents are deep in their own princess dreams – it’s time now to go find mine …
thats my simple pleasure to add to your list