Simple Was Satisfying

The cultivation of mindfulness is key to waking up and fully experiencing simple pleasures. Simple pleasures are small things that don’t cost much, if anything at all. Some examples (among my personal favorites) are going to bed with freshly clean sheets, taking a bubble bath, listening to your favorite music, looking up at the moon and stars, feeling the shade of a tree canopy on a hot day, sipping a cup of tea in front of a crackling fire on a cold day, or watching dogs run around or children playing at the park. The list of possible simple pleasures is limitless and varies from one person to another. What one person experiences as pleasurable another may not. You may even find that your simple pleasures change from day to day or month to month, depending on how you feel, the weather, who you are with, or whatever may arise unexpectedly. It is important to notice small treasures present or that await you. If you’re completely preoccupied with your medical test or doctor’s appointment next week, you might miss the rare migratory birds outside your window right now.

For each simple pleasure that you are aware of, pause, smile, and be grateful for that moment, a moment of effortless goodness.

During the last two years of my father’s life, he lost his ability to swallow. The simple pleasures associated with eating and drinking that most of us take for granted were stripped from this man of few words. In his retirement, my dad had delighted in daily trips to the market for fresh vegetables and filet, mindfully mastering a gustatory creation that he then savored while sipping on a glass of Merlot. Going out to eat, one of his great pastimes, and planning and preparing holidays meals for family and friends were no longer options. Even swallowing a spoonful of ice cream, a single ice chip, or his own saliva was impossible and carried serious consequences like an infection in his lungs. The road to finding and experiencing new pleasures was not easy for him, yet it was possible. His yellow Labrador Retriever, Daisy, brought him immeasurable joy. He would melt with a grin on his face looking into her big brown eyes as she laid her head on his chest whenever they rested together on the sofa. He would pat her belly and she would express her affection and gratitude by licking his face. Quiet time with Daisy mattered more than anything else to my dad. He was grateful to his dear dog every day for being his best friend and loyal companion. He was also grateful that he could still walk and go for short strolls outside his home (a far cry from his days as a serious marathon runner). He would sit in a lawn chair with Daisy at his feet and soak in the New England sun. He was enlivened by birdsong, puffy clouds floating across the sky, maple trees swaying in the breeze, and the fresh, crisp Vermont mountain air as it filled his lungs. Nature was nourishing. Simple was satisfying.

I am also reminded of a woman named Anna who had an extended hospitalization. She returned home with fresh eyes after weeks in the hospital. Home had a familiar comfort, yet she was able to experience it in ways she hadn’t ever before. She shared the following: "The other day I was standing at the radiator, and I was just ready to pick something up to read, and I thought, "Aahh, I am at the radiator. It is warm. I am in my home. Isn’t this lovely.""

Pause for a moment, expand your field of awareness, and answer these questions: What simple pleasures are true for you right now? What can you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel that is pleasing to you at this moment? What pleasant colors, shades of light, shapes, scents, flavors, or skin sensations are you aware of? Let gratitude fill you. Rest in awareness of feeling grateful.