Savouring Life…

Sometimes it does me such good to sit back and reflect on those little delights of life that bring joy, subtle, then welling; it’s especially good when life seems too full:

My “alone” time that I usually get once a day during Aria’s nap. It’s not entirely alone time as I usually have Kiera about, but it usually is time when I have some space to write and read, or perhaps do a wee bit of art. I make myself a cup of hot tea (both cream and sugar, please) and put together a little plate of favourite snacks: a handful of hulled and raw sunflower seeds, a ginger cookie, a digestive (an oat biscuit with a thin layer of chocolate over the top), and a dried apricot. Then I take my tea time snack to the computer, or to the floor, or to the couch, to work at whatever I may wish to: a treasured time to me.

Flowers. Flowers are always spirit-lifting to me. Every time I walk through the park near our house, my eyes eagerly seek out the corner by the gate where, beneath a thick, gnarly tree flowers grow. There were snowdrops and crocuses, which are flowers that seem to come at the end of winter, just as it begins to let loose its strong grasp on the earth. Just beyond the tree is a group of younger trees beneath which the yellow buds of daffodils are yet tightly closed. Every time I pass I look for signs of a moving toward blossoming. John brought me a bright cheery daffodil today that had been blooming by the river. It does wonders to brighten the greyness of the day. A man in the town centre sells bouquets of flowers beneath an awning of dark red and green. John, realizing how I delight in flowers, will sometimes buy me some for me from the man. I love the way they bring alive the dining table.

Aria. Of course, Aria brings me joy. Her expressiveness and the way she was dancing and turning around with exuberance this morning as I sang “If You’re Happy and You Know It” to her. If she’s aware that I’m sad, she will run the palm of her hand down my arm with a tenderness that completely warms the heart. And what fun it’s been to see her exploring the park in her new rain jacket, a bright breath of fresh air against the green grass and grey sky.

And Kiera. What smiles I get from that wee babe! It makes up for the grunting and squeaks that sometimes keep me awake at night. Her smile seems full of mirth and mischief—makes me wonder how this little one will embrace life.

People have such the capacity to add to the joy in our lives as well. Sometimes it can be all too easy to overlook the joy that simple encounters with people bring: the woman at the park who calls her female dog “Riley” because of the saying here that indicates a good life—”having the life of Riley”; the woman Aria and I ran into as we returned from our walk who exclaimed over Aria with such pleasure; the older man who smiled at me and called me “Luv”; Sarah from the church who I met for coffee yesterday; the women at the breast-feeding group who open up with warmness; my husband embracing me; an e-mail from an old friend I hadn’t heard from in a year. People delights.
And having this moment. This moment in itself is delight and joy. This moment to embrace simple pleasures.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 15th, 2007 at 7:42 am and is filed under Reflections & Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.