Those Simple (But Not Really Simple) Things

Ramblings of a Certified Brat: Simple Pleasures of Life

This link is from Russel, whom I think should blog more often because she's so funny! We-ell, sometimes finding the humor in life is a greater gift than most would give credit for.

Instructions: Name ten of life’s simple pleasures that you like the most, then pick ten people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

(Let's see if I can follow this to the letter.... I've done some lists of this nature, particularly my "Happiness Is..." series, but it's worth revisiting, anyhow).

1) Laughing out loud at the most nonsensical things, those kinds of laughs where I literally roll on the floor laughing or run the risk of having a heart attack. Twice the value if shared with a friend or a family member. And so on and so forth.
2) Music trips --- any kind will do, and the kind of trip where I get lost in the emotion of the piece and realize in the no-space of the climax what kind of inspiration the artist had. Works best with choral pieces or symphonies. Works least with heavy metal.
3) The same with the written word --- but mostly when I write something that someone says helped them or inspired them, and then reading it all over again and finding myself floored by my own work.
4) The quiet at the table during meals when everyone is in his/her moment, but mostly enjoying the food. Best when hanging out with family members I haven't been with for a long time.
5) Encountering a child for the first time and holding him/her in your arms.
6) The sweet thrill of having someone acknowledge me for who I am and not what I have accomplished (though the latter works, but not on the same elemental level).
7) Kicking back your shoes after a long day and not having to put up with anything else.
8) Solving the puzzle to a person with whom I would like to have a romantic relationship ("falling in love with love" is the more common term, I think, but mine carries less negative baggage)
9) Seeing hope in the sunrise after rending my heart into pieces over some imagined or real faults the previous night.
10) Having someone read this and answer back most expeditiously.

There are lots more, and in any case, finding a "top ten" to simple pleasures is like putting a price on things like the adoring trust a young child has in you. There is no price to that at all.

It's hard to pick ten people, so I'll send this to e-groups and see who responds. Comments back to this link, please!