Friday, July 31, 2009

Saving Up Joys

Sometimes when the world weighs heavily, I realize that I've forgotten a very important element in life: to remember the simple warm pleasures that keep us going from day to day without contemplating homicide.

Today, I took a short walk at lunchtime (really, 2 p.m. but that was as soon as I could get out). I expected unbearable, stifiling heat and humidity as predicted, but as I walked toward the "river" (it's smaller than what we called a "creek" back home), a little breeze stirred the leaves and a breath of fresh air moved through. For that moment, I enjoyed the sensations of being outside on a beautiful day. My heart felt light and I closed my eyes and filled my lungs with the bright air. Can you smell sunshine? A little bit of a smile crept onto my face and my death grip on the stresses of life loosened just a little.

As I walked back up the hill toward the city square, the sun on my face and my eyes half closed, I focused on the lightness I felt in my chest and vowed to keep a piece of it there to guard against stress.

I think that we take way too few moments like this, to feel really GOOD inside, and we should probably all try to slip away and seek such things out more often. I think I'll make it a challenge to myself to do so. I'll keep you posted on how I do.

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