What are your simple pleasures? What makes you smile? What makes you laugh? What small indulgences make your life feel rich and lovely?

Indulge

Simple pleasures make life feel good.  They make us feel happy. It’s not so complicated. We all have them; simple loves and likes that brighten our days. Maybe you indulge in them often. Maybe not. If you don’t, why not?

No, don’t answer that. Answer this: how could you enjoy these little treats more often? You’ll be increasing World Peace in a small way. It all has a ripple effect.

Picture this: you’ve just had a great coffee and a toasted cheese bagel dripping with butter [DELETE mine and INSERT your own treats here]. You feel happy and well fed. You hazard a  smile on the bus. Someone else also smiles on the bus. The mood lightens. The walking dead come alive. You start a sing-along…someone hits you with their handbag.

The singing on Sydney transport is maybe a bit much but you get the idea.

Treats not addictions

When I speak of treats I’m not talking about overeating or becoming an alcoholic or gambling your savings. Impulses to go to extremes are more about addiction and less about pleasure.

Maybe denying yourself life’s small pleasures is exactly what leads to addiction. A forbidden pleasure is good friends with guilt and excess.

Enough about addiction.

What are your simple pleasures?

For instance, mine include:

  • tea – I love a good cup of tea
  • plunger coffee in the morning
  • playing with my slinky (yep, I’m a kid at heart)
  • singing Soul music or the Sound of Music
  • watching Big Bang Theory (this might qualify as an addiction – no TV for years and now I’m hooked!)
  • a good book
  • sitting in the park (in the sun or under a tree – both good)
  • picnics
  • DVD’s (more on addiction)
  • a bath (or a bubble bath)
  • a swim in the sea
  • watching baby polar bears on YouTube
  • watching TED talks (I’m not just about baby polar bears)
  • taking photos of my cheese grater (part of my “kitchen series”)
  • swinging in a hammock – I don’t actually have a hammock but they’re great

Enough about my simple pleasures. You get the idea.

What are your simple pleasures? What do you love just because you love  it? Do more of it. It will make you more attractive and less likely to punch your neighbour. Enjoy. Go on, you know you want to.

What little treat will you have today?

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