Simple Little Joys

I am always told by friends and family that I think too much.  I think too deeply...all the time...about many different things.  About how short life is; all the what ifs; why bad things happen to good people; the meaning of life; what my next step should be in life.  But for the sake of a peaceful existence, the experts say you should not think too much.  There is no tomorrow or yesterday - there is just right now.  We are simply supposed to exist in the present; simply just BE.

I hear what they are saying.  I understand that if I don't ruminate about the past or worry about the future, I will be less hampered down by worries and anxieties. That premise makes sense; however, it is alot easier said than done.

Some days though, I manage to do it for a short time.  The other morning I was in the shower, and I happened to read the bottle of body wash I was using. I absolutely love the smell of it.  When I read the bottle, it made me smile.  This is what it said:

It is a coconut vanilla body wash from Bath and Body Works that smells wonderful (this was apparently purchased a couple of years ago, as it is now discontinued; I found it in my cabinet and just started using it; nothing like buried treasure in your own house!).  It reminds me of being at the beach (it is aptly called Moana which means ocean.).  It comes in a beautiful, blue bottle.  What made me happy when I read the bottle is that it states the Tamanu nut oil is from the "Tree of 1000 virtues".  Doesn't even the name of that tree make you think philosophically?  It is such a cool sounding tree!  So this is my point.  I was able to get lost in the simple joy of a fabulous smell.  And then the joy was increased when I read the bottle.  It was a rare moment when I was truly enjoying the present.  There were no other thoughts or worries racing across my mind; I was simply just enjoying the moment.

So today's blog is about some simple (and cheap - everything was $20 and under!) little joys that have made me happy the past couple of days.  These are moments when I am not worrying about anything, I am simply enjoying the beauty in the present moment.

That same morning that I enjoyed my body wash, I put on one of my favorite bracelets.  It is a beautiful pink color and if I remember correctly, it was around $20 from Kohl's.  The color alone makes me happy (as it is my favorite color and hue of pink), but I also love all the cute little charms, as well as the initiative it stands for (curing breast cancer).

Another unexpected little joy came in the form of an inexpensive leather bracelet I came across at a little stand on the boardwalk, in Ocean City, MD (I can't find the name of the gentleman who made the bracelets.).  I just love this bracelet; it is so cool!

Gorgeous pink and purple blooming flowers:

And most precious of all, an impromptu little wild flower bouquet, given to me by my 7 year old, while on a walk this beautiful summer night:

Enjoying the Little Beauties in Life,
Me


Motivational Moment:

For today's simple Motivational Moment, I liked the following two quotes from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/joy.

“There are random moments - tossing a salad, coming up the driveway to the house, ironing the seams flat on a quilt square, standing at the kitchen window and looking out at the delphiniums, hearing a burst of laughter from one of my children's rooms - when I feel a wavelike rush of joy. This is my true religion: arbitrary moments of of nearly painful happiness for a life I feel privileged to lead.”

 - Elizabeth Berg, The Art of Mending

 

“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to someone who loves the gift.”

 - Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines, Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life

 

Both of the above quotes wonderfully express my point of enjoying the small things throughout your day.  I particularly like the title of Shauna's book: "...Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life".  What a fabulous title!  Thank you Shauna!

 

My wish for you today is that you have moments where your mind stops racing and you are able to simply enjoy the little simple joys that you come across in your day; and may there be many!