July 2nd - Simple Pleasures

I love everything Sarah says today. 

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Some days are shaped by simple pleasures, 

others are redeemed by them. 

Today

-a beautiful summer's day at the beach-

was shaped by joyful simplicities.

Idylls on a screened porch,

roaming in interesting shops,

an afternoon on the shore with family and friends, 

irresistible reading,

confidences exchanged while the waves lap at ankles,

an ice-cream cone for lunch,

strolling the boardwalk,

playing amusement park games,

winning a prize. 

Then back to the house, 

a refreshing outdoor shower...

the conviviality of cooking dinner with a dear friend, 

an abundance of delicious food...

laughter, and good cheer

-and so to bed,

happily. 

An Irish proverb tells us

"Better one good thing that is, 

rather than two good things that were, 

or three good things that might never come to pass."

Not all my days are beach sojourns...

The reality [is] 

that the day [will] be as hard as I [make] it. 

Or as pleasant. 

There [is] nothing I [can] do about my circumstances 

but accept them. 

It's always my choice...

not necessarily to like whatever life throws at me,

 but to try to catch the ball. 

After all, success in life is not how well we execute Plan A;

it's how smoothly we cope with Plan B...

Plan B: redeem the day with simple pleasures,

some good things to look forward to. 

At first, learning to smoothly shift gears to Plan B 

takes some attitude adjustment, 

but, like driving a car, 

it becomes an automatic reflex with practice...

The day stretched before me

-not as I had hoped.

But not, thank heaven,

beyond redemption.

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Some of my favorite simple pleasures 

that make life more bearable when the day is just blah...

Food. Food is so good. 

Taking a moment to spend time with Indy. 

There's something about looking into a dog's eyes while you 

scratch their ears, and they're just dying to lick your face.

Playing with the kids. 

Like 10 minutes, one 10 minute game with my 

full attention given to them.

Date nights with Robbie.

Friends. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't just call up my

 friends and say "I'm having a bad day, can I come over?"

Self-care. I love taking baths, pampering myself. 

Crafts and projects. 

Service.

Reading a good book.

I could go on and on and on...

Shelby said 

"So, it's not so much what happens to us

but how we deal with what happens to us."

So true sis, so true.

What is your favorite simple pleasure? 

If you're having a bad day, 

what is one thing you can look forward to?

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Gratitude Journal

***

1) Sundays. 

2) Because Jacob wasn't here, the twins went down for a nap and I had two hours for some much needed self-care. It was amazing.

3) I'm grateful for my health. 

4) I'm grateful for my home, and that we can afford it and live within our means and still have so much.

5) Jacob comes home tomorrow. I miss him.