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| My dog Sidney enjoying the clean comfy bed |
So, starting today, I do solemnly swear that I am going to make a conscious effort to take notice of the good things in everyday life. I believe, and will prove in practise, that when one fills their mind with thoughts of gratitude for the everyday happiness there simply is no room left for negativity, stress, anger and bad moods.
In order to enjoy the little things more it's important to identify what those items might be, so here is my starting list, in no particular order:
- Sleeping on clean fresh sheets.
- Walking in a room where my doggies are sleeping looking extremely comfortable (they are so cute and my heart swells).
- Drinking a really nice cup of green tea, especially when it's chilly out.
- Eating out in a restaurant with my hubby and letting someone else do the cooking.
- Long drives with the hubby, turning on NPR's Ask Me Another podcast and having some good laughs while scrambling to get the trivia answers.
- Cuddling with my nieces and nephew, breathing in their wonderful baby smell.
- Chatting with my mom.
- Sleeping in extra late on the weekend.
- Browsing on MLS (snooping on neighbourhood houses, or looking at dream houses, imagining different neighbourhoods we could move to, etc).
- Playing board games with my family (I can't wait until my baby sister moves home from across the country so the clan can all play together again).
- A calm sunny morning, standing on my front porch with my face turned to the sun, soaking in the rays.
- Cooking a really special meal for someone.
- Practising Yoga - I have to force myself to do it, but always thoroughly enjoy it once I get started.
- Meeting new brides and discussing their wedding ideas. It's always such a happy time in a persons life when they are in love and getting married, so excited for the wedding.
- Watching an old TV show or movie from the 50's-60's.
- Upholding Holiday Traditions - this one is very broad, but I just love traditions. Everything from my family still singing happy birthday and lighting candles on the cake for every single birthday, to our Christmas and New Year's Eve family traditions. These things that have been in practise for so long that not doing them would just seem wrong. They are things that are always attached to good memories so I guess that's why they are special and have become tradition in the first place.
- My husband's nightly ritual of saying "Night, Love You, Have A Good Sleep" which he's been saying every night since we first lived together.
- The feeling when I first step in a hot shower and let the water run through my dry hair, and it tickles my scalp and feels so nice.
- Putting together the perfect outfit and feeling extra confident wearing it.
- Knowing just the right thing to say to someone when they need advice.
- Easting toast with butter - so basic and even plain, yet one of my favourite things to eat.
- Finding a really good recipe in a magazine.
- Redeeming reward points - recently we were able to redeem our RBC Points for over $140 worth of awesome stuff - it's like finding money in your coat pocket.
- Making someone laugh with a perfectly timed punchline or commentary.
- Getting a haircut.
- Going to Costco when there are lots of yummy taste tester samples, especially when it's not too crowded, on a weekday afternoon.
- Big family dinners with all the trimmings.
- Reading a mushy romance novel and crying my eyes out. It's very therapeutic sometimes.
- Being told I've done a good job at something I've worked hard on.
- Having a good hair and makeup day - feeling so beautiful that I've got an extra little strut in my step. On those days I feel so sure people in public are noticing me, which they probably are because I look confident.
- Coming home to a perfectly clean house.
- Taking a trailer load of junk to the dump - it feels like instant weight loss to get rid of excess baggage.
- Vacuuming - I love the act of sucking up the dirt, it feels peaceful to me, brings a little organization and removes chaos from my world. Unfortunately this one doesn't translate into me being motivated to actually vacuum more often.
- Enjoying Friday nights - I love that the weekend has officially started and there is so much possibility ahead for the following two full days. Even when I have a busy schedule over the weekend, or a long to-do list, I like that it's not on someone else's watch, ultimately it's up to me what I devote my time to, unlike the work week. Long weekends get extra bonus happiness points!
- Having a clean bathroom - when it's freshly cleaned top to bottom it's so nice to know it's not on the to-do list again for a little while.
- Thinking up THE perfect gift for someone.
- Drinking Coke in a glass bottle - I'm a Coca Cola addict to begin with, but it always tastes better from a glass bottle with a straw.
- Browsing antique stores - I love looking at old treasures, even though I rarely buy anything. I like to think about what life was like when these items were made or used and also how it would look in my dream home.
- Listening to big band music - 30's and 40's era music is still my music of choice when I want something other than the usual repetitive stuff on the radio.
- Drinking a tall glass of cold water when I'm super thirsty.
- A nice big stretch after sitting at the computer for a while feeling stiff.
- Holding the door for an elderly person in public.
- Giving and Receiving Handmade greetings cards.
This list is sure to grow as I practise taking mental note of all these wonderful moments and joy filled activities in daily life.
Tell me, what are some of your favourite simple pleasures?
Tell me, what are some of your favourite simple pleasures?
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