Simple Pleasures

I was thinking today about the simple pleasures of my life, like my "not so secret" stash of Dove chocolates.  I keep them in the freezer, and since they're frozen, I'm forced to eat them slowly, savoring every bite.  I also love to burn scented candles in the evening and watch the flame dance.  Yankee candles are my favorite.  My sidekick, Ethel, and I try to grab them up "on the cheap" at yard sales.

Another simple pleasure is sleeping on a cold pillow.  Sometimes I flip mine over and over during the night to keep it cold.  Duh, Laney, that might have something to do with hormones!  How about puppy breath?  Don't you just love the smell of puppy breath?  No, you say.  But it's not dog breath; there's a big difference. 

A child's belly-laugh is music to my ears.  I heard a few of those tonight from my granddaughter, and it made me very happy.  Puppy breath is nice, but there is no sweeter smell than a baby, just out of the bath, slathered in baby lotion!  A hug is a simple pleasure, too.  When coupled with an "I love you", it's even better.

My oldest son just returned from a missions trip to Nicaragua.  We looked at some of his photos and videos over dinner tonight.  I guess that's what triggered thoughts about the simple pleasures I take for granted. 

He photographed a family scrounging for food at the town garbage dump.  They were able to give them some food, but what about the next day, and the next?  Kind of makes me feel guilty about my hidden stash of Dove chocolates.  There was also a picture of a woman and girl carrying dirty plastic containers.  Their village doesn't have a well, and they must walk a great distance to fill containers of water for their families.  All I have to do is put my clean glass under the spout on my refrigerator door and it's instantly filled with cold, filtered water.  That's a simple pleasure I haven't thanked God for recently.

I asked my husband tonight, "have you ever thought, a quadraplegic has to ask someone to scratch their nose when it itches?"  I don't think I've ever thanked God for being able to scratch my nose.  My husband will sleep next to me tonight.  Husbands and wives with a spouse deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan will sleep alone tonight, hoping their loved one comes home alive.

A friend's daughter, once prayed before a meal, "Thank you for the plates on the table, and the pictures on the wall".  Tonight before I go to sleep, I want to thank God for life's simple pleasures, my soft mattress, and my cold pillow.  There are children in Nicaragua, and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, who will be sleeping tonight on the cold, hard ground.


Copyright 2011 Charlotte Laney