“I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex.”
―
After two weeks of heightened stress at work and needing to be on high alert for days at a time, I’m hoping for a slower and more sustainable few days. We had a delightful weekend celebrating Jeff’s birthday and in the midst of a truly great meal, I got to thinking about “everyday pleasures” that help ground me.
While I can’t say that Michelin star rated restaurants are a reasonable thing to add to your regime of self care (I wish. I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt that as relaxed as I did in the cab ride home–sated doesn’t begin to cover it), there are a lot of small things that produce an immediate hit of dopamine in my system. A short list includes, but is not limited to…
Clean sheets
Fresh contact lenses
Coffee in bed on the weekend
Calls with friends. A weekly necessity.
Buying fresh flowers or greenery for the house
Soup in cold weather
Begin legitimately able to light holiday scented candles
When a book on your waitlist becomes available at the library
Baths
Watching Jane Austen film adaptations while folding laundry
Snagging the front seat on a double decker London bus
Reading a magazine start to finish in one sitting
A good hair day
Date night with my husband, whether at said Michelin star restaurant, or on the couch with Netflix
What are the small things that recharge you?