The Importance of Simple Pleasures
Here’s to the threads that weave together the tapestry of your life
Too often, we overlook the simple pleasures in life.
Without realizing it, we train our brains to think that the only things in life that matter are the significant milestones — like birthdays and weddings, and anniversaries. We tell ourselves that buying homes, having children, job promotions, and going on vacations are the essential things that mark the meaning of our lives.
We have so many goals and end destinations in mind that we forget that tiny moments of joy are not only important, but they’re the moments that mark our days.
We shrug off compliments and forget to let the words warm our hearts.
We stay inside sunny days and scroll on our phones instead of appreciating our neighborhood. We don’t give a second thought about having food in our fridge or a bed that feels like a slice of heaven.
Without realizing it, we expect our lights to stay on, and something interesting to be on the television, and for the roof over our heads to remain intact.
Without realizing it, we overlook the simple pleasures in life.
We don’t do this on purpose — the glorification of the hustle and being “busy” has conditioned us to be and think this way.
So when the world starts to crack, it feels like someone doused us with cold water, like someone poured an ice bucket over your head — jolting your senses wide awake.
And it’s jarring.
But perhaps it can teach us something, too. For even the simplest pleasures shouldn’t be overlooked — even the simplest pleasures are important in this life.
Simple pleasures like a kiss from your partner or spouse. Isn’t it amazing how a little thing like a kiss “good morning” or “good evening” can change your mood in an instant? Or when your mom hugs you — and it seems as if everything wrong in the world fades away.
Or when you open your favorite bottle of wine at the end of a long day — and can share that wine with your loved ones as you sit at the same table.
Or when you smell chocolate chip cookies coming out of the oven. Or when you indulge in a piece of chocolate, just for a small moment of pleasure amidst the hustle.
Or when you lounge in bed on the weekend with your dog at your feet, reading your favorite book. It’s a joy to soak in the slowness of a morning.
Or when you head outside and feel the sunshine on your skin and the wind in your hair. Or perhaps, if you’re close — the sounds of the waves as they crash upon the shore. Or maybe you get to walk in the woods, or bicycle the trails, or lay in a field and watch the passing of the clouds.
Or when you cook a meal dish for your friends and family that your mother used to make for you in times of stress when you were a kid. Isn’t it wild how it’s as if some foods hold comfort within their very makeup?
Or when you climb into bed with clean sheets or enjoy a soft-serve ice cream cone on a hot summer day. Or when all of your children are safely asleep under your roof, or when you get five minutes of quiet, just for yourself.
Simple pleasures are the threads that weave together the tapestry of your life.
They are the moments of happiness in dire situations, the tiny things that bring you comfort and fill your heart with joy.
They are the flickers of light that make the darkness less scary.
Simple pleasures are what keep us moving forward — even when we’ve lost the map on where we’re going.
Don’t overlook your simple pleasures.
