The Simple Pleasures In Life

One of my favorite moments in the day, and the most pleasurable, is the first sip of my morning coffee. Hot, richly bitter and laced with cream- there is nothing like it. Reading a good book, by which I mean not necessarily good literature but a good read, curling up on my couch after a long day, chocolate chip cookies… these things are all inexpensive yet I get so much enjoyment from them.

Our current financial state precludes going shopping as a cure for boredom so we have to find our entertainment elsewhere. We can’t afford to go out to movies, especially once you factor in the cost of a babysitter, so we sit and watch (free) satellite tv. We don’t like going out to restaurants with our three small children, so instead we go to dinner at friends’ houses, or invite them to ours. We might not eat as well, but the good company is worth it.

I’ve had a wealth of new reading material these past few weeks, thanks to Book Mooch, so I’ve been plowing my way through the stack of books next to my bed. Some have been good reads, some not so good, but all free. And when I’m finished, instead of cluttering up my house they get passed on to the local English language library.

Instead of buying new craft materials on the spur of the moment, I took a few minutes recently to look at what I have already. I then made a list of the projects I would like to accomplish and I’ve started working my way down the list. Hours of entertainment, with very little new cost.

Children have an amazing ability to play in any situation, with whatever is lying around. When my second son opened his birthday present, a skateboard, he was very happy. But a few minutes later I looked over and the two boys were using the flattened carton as a pirate ship; the broom was an oar used to push away crocodiles. As adults we have lost the ability to appreciate the simple pleasures in life- lately, I’ve been trying to get them back.

And you? What simple pleasures do you appreciate most?