Simple Pleasures

I am sipping coffee and looking out the big windows of my favorite cafe in Moscow, ID. I've got that funny post-workout blend of tiredness and energy. There are four young girls (can't be much older than 10 0r 11) sitting in the circle of chairs next to me, eating bagels and teasing each other. The usual blend of moscow locals are here: old hippies, students, professors, pseudo-hipsters, and downtown professionals. It's December 21st- the shortest day of the year.

Maybe it's that I've just finished my first semester of grad school and now find myself with absolutely no obligations for a whole month. Maybe it's that it's winter and I'm more aware of putting the daylight hours to the most efficient use. Maybe it's both. Maybe. Whatever the case may be, I feel like I've been more aware of the simple little pleasures of life this last week and days.

Last night, mom and I had Granny and Gramps up for dinner; nothing fancy, just soup, salad, and bread. We broke out a bottle of merlot to spice things up a bit, and Gramps even had a little glass (though he didn't finish it). I rubbed Granny's back and listened to Gramps tell Ole and Lena jokes (some I'd heard and some I wish I hadn't). Mom flitted about making things look nice and picked out poems from the Christmas poem book that she loves so much. She got Granny to read a few out loud. We just sat around and, as Granny likes to say, "just chatted". Simple.

Then when Granny's energy reserves had been fully drained (I think it was about an hour and a half), they left and mom and I plopped down for some Muppets. Mom purchased Season 1 of the original Muppet Show, and it is priceless. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Simple. Then we switched over to a full length movie,The Sea Inside, and for those of you who haven't seen this one, please do. Simple and powerful.

There's something so powerful about simplicity. I think this especially so in the crazy, chaotic, ever-moving, ever-evolving, melodramatic, endless-entertainment-seeking world we find ourselves in. Sitting down and and reading a book is profound. Going for a walk and simply breathing fresh air is extraordinary. Taking time to cook a meal from scratch brings us back closer to the rhythms of the earth. The simple and powerful pleasures of life.