I believe that all of us need to stop and smell the roses occasionally. To counteract the stresses of cold winters, moving Dad to Assisted Living, to putting up Mom’s gravestone (worse than the funeral) and just life, it really helps me to focus my attention on small things that bring me joy. I take a small respite when I think of it; do you have one?
I have LOTS, but off the top of my head:
Watching the little Oak Tit bird hop on our railing. or in summer, the hummingbird flit under the kitchen window.
Cup of tea, smell the steam and a chessman cookie. Stop and savor both.
I hate that the deer eat our flowers and I support DH going out and chasing them off… but I still like to see them. I appreciate their beauty.
Having both my kids home at the holidays; when I walk up the stairs late at night, knowing that they are both asleep in their rooms, I go to sleep utterly contented.
Jogging in the local university arboretum a few times a week, I pass a couple of flowering bushes & trees that smell wonderful right now. (Yes, in the PNW in January!). I had almost no sense of smell for many years due to a medical condition, but I have some of it back. That makes it that much sweeter.
Seeing the deer who was eating our bushes ( and I don’t mind) pull down a branch and create an avalanche of snow onto her head and back. Her expression was priceless. I’m so glad we were watching.
XC skiing, there’s nothing like it’s cold outside and you are sweating and warm on the inside. You can hear the noise of the skis moving and the quiet. Every so often you can hear the sound of snow falling off the tree branches. Occasionally a deer comes through or you see paw prints in the snow. If you are especially lucky you’ll see an eagle.
People talk about hating winter. Yesterday the sun was shining through the woods but a light snow was falling. It was magical. I wanted to take a picture but knew my phone couldn’t capture the scene.
Hearing anything from my daughter - a text, a phone call.
Hearing my daughter say “You were right, Mom.”
Birds. I especially like the end of the day, as dusk is falling, when the doves gather around our heated birdbath and coo to one another. It’s as if they are chatting to each other as they enjoy the warm water.
