Simple Pleasures Are Sublime

The best things in life are nearest: 

Breath in your nostrils, 

light in your eyes, 

flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, 

the path of right just before you. 

Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, 

common work as it comes, 

certain that daily duties and daily bread 

are the sweetest things in life.

~Robert Louis Stevenson

I spent a 3-day weekend immersed in simple pleasures. Joy!

I realized this last week that ever since I returned from my 6-week “vacation” how busyness had subtly crept back into my days. I found myself quickly attending to my work in the morning, so my daughter and I (just retrieved from college) could do things together in the afternoon. The time I usually dedicate to my spiritual practices waned; my early morning Bay gazing, reading, and journaling was minimized to meet family needs, and I found myself getting increasingly gnarly and impatient.

Perhaps Adair Lara, author of Slowing Down in a Speeded Up World, said it best" "...I get caught up, like a swimmer in a pool of floating junk, in what's coming at me." Sometimes I do. Do you?

This is an old and deep-seated pattern of behavior for me. As a mother, I’m used to putting myself on the back burner to care for others. Once everyone is settled and “in their place,” then, and only then, do I give myself permission to “do” for myself. I’ve shared often enough here (and in my writing) about this persistent and pesky issue.

Once more, I was shown the error of my ways. Once more, the simple pleasures of a languorous weekend guided me back to center. The case of "spiritual amnesia" I'd acquired began to dissipate. 

Ironically, I’d been crafting a post on this, including a list of the simple pleasures that brought me around. Then I read a sweet post at Angela Recada’s site --a call to name six “unimportant things that make you happy.”

Today, I’m remembering how delightful “unimportant things” or tasks can be, and how they restore a flagging spirit. This weekend I enjoyed:

1. Stripping the bed and hanging the sheets out on the line to dry. I like to imagine how the sun restores their sheen and freshness. Doing so reminds me of helping my grandmother do the same in her yard. It was a very special time of sharing “women’s work” with her.

2. Planting and weeding. I planted a few patches of wildflower and zinnia seeds. I weeded mindfully, slowly pulling out each weed with just the right amount of effort to get at the roots. I realized I like weeding when I can do it with mindfulness.

3. Sat on my back porch in my rocker in the sun and wrote two letters to dear friends. I adore writing letters. Again, I feel a deep connection to my grandmother when I do this. She was a faithful letter writer. And I love to send a whoosh of love to people through the written word on pretty paper. 

4. Went to recycling. My husband and I recycle everything we can. The laundry room serves as our recycling room and it was full-to-overflowing. I could barely get to the washer. We loaded up our entire van full of all kinds of recyclables. Now the laundry room looks great and I feel like we made Mother Earth smile.

5. Started a new book. I prefer to get my books from the library until I am sure I want to purchase one for my own library. I use an interlibrary loan service. For just $1, I can get pretty much any book I want from any library in the U.S. I’m loving this new book: Women of Wisdom by Tsultrim Allione.

6. Took a nap. One sunny afternoon after I’d read for a while, I just turned over, closed my eyes and took a little nap. I could hear the birds singing in the yard and the jet skis on the Bay and it was music to my ears. I think naps are a form of “sacred rest” and good for what ails us.

Did you experience any simple pleasures this weekend?

I’m eager to hear …

~~~~~
Please join me on Thursday for a very special blog guest, Paul Maurice Martin, author of Original Faith. I’m reading his book and enjoying it immensely. Paul will be here “live,” sharing a delightful, personal account of mentoring by a reknown spiritual teacher. Mark your calendar!

(Photo: istockphoto.com)