The Little Things

Now that I'm running around like a mad woman fleeing the orderlies, I find that the small things that bring me pleasure in life are more than important; they're vital to calming me down and making me feel like life is somehow grounded. Lots of times I feel like I'm going off the rails on Ozzy's Crazy Train. I think mainly it's just a factor of how much I have to cram into some of my days. Especially Mondays. But these things always slow me down and bring me back to the present.

flowers
I can get half a dozen roses from Aldi for $3. Are they the most fantastic flowers available? Sometimes. Sometimes not. They're smaller than florist roses, and they don't last quite as long. But I can pay half of what the florists charge around here for a dozen roses and get 2 dozen at Aldi. And I can get them in orange, pink, yellow, white, all kinds of colors! I love seeing them when I'm walking around the house.

marinating food
Something about seeing basalmic chicken in the refridgerator just waiting for me to pull it out and fix it fills me with happiness. Maybe it's just the thought of getting fed? But seeing something marinate is so full of...potential. The potential for great food, great conversation, relaxation, enjoying being human.

sitting on the balcony with a morning cup of coffee
Up on the second floor balcony at the tall iron table & chairs I'd wanted for years and finally bought sipping the coffee with chicory in it that someone dear to me thought enough of me to buy, I'm reminded of friends, pleasures, nature and life. All in the 15 minutes it takes to get there.

old sweatshirts
They're like a constant big hug. My favorite one is such a faded dark green that it looks black.

a ringing phone...
Especially when the voice on the other end is a little one that bursts into song when I say "Hello?". I get sung to quite frequently. I don't know if it's because little boys just don't communicate in the ways little girls do, but most of the time I either get a set's worth of songs over the phone with little discussion or I get a lot of discussion about his new Yu-gi-oh! cards. Either way, the chant of his little voice makes me happy.