Gracie

As I woke up this morning and opened my eyes, Gracie, my cat, was peering intently at my face, with her big glowing eyes only about 2 inches from my eyes. While it momentarily startled me to see her glowing eyes staring at me so intently, it also started my day with a smile. Since I was ready to get up anyway, I couldn’t think of a better way to wake up.

Simple Pleasures

It seems my days are filled with simple pleasures.

We have transitioned from warm days, cool nights, and low humidity to hot steamy days and warm steamy nights. I love being out in the heat for awhile and then I am glad to retreat to our air conditioned house.

Have you ever thought about how adaptive the human body it? It is so amazing to me how the human body adapts to the changing temperatures of the seasons. On one of the first warm nights of spring, 74 degrees felt hot, hot, hot to me. Now 74 degrees is way too cool.

Bee Balm Flower in my Garden

Backyard Wonder

Early this morning I went down to the backyard to check to see if my black raspberries needed picking. They are almost done producing berries for the year so I was thinking I might skip a day of picking but when I took a look at them I decided to pick again today so that they did not get over-ripe in the heat.

You wouldn’t think reaching through thorny stems to find every single ripe berry would be a pleasurable task, but I am enjoying the picking of my crop of raspberries as much as I am enjoying eating the berries. This morning the berry bushes were still in the shade and still wet from the rain last night. A slight breeze kept me cool, and the task of picking was an easy meditative task. I found only a small bowl full today, where at their peak, I was picking 2 quarts of berries each day. I am a little sad to see the black raspberry season ending but also full of thanks for the bountiful delicious harvest.

While I was in the backyard picking raspberries the beauty all around me filled me up to the brim with joy.

Mallard Family Hanging Out Beside the Pond

Checking on the raspberries gives me a reason to go outside early in the morning and once I am in the backyard, I find myself wandering down to the pond to look around, pulling a few weeds here and there, maybe getting out the hose to water the various berry bushes.

The other day a mallard family was lounging on the edge of the pond no more than 10 feet from where I was working in my new flower garden. And last evening a mother mallard with 4 tiny ducklings hurried across the yard and back to the pond when they heard me moving in the yard.

Ordinary Blessings

Later in the morning I attended yoga class and it felt so good to stretch and move my body. Being able to move and do things like yoga, gardening, and housework are a simple pleasure I am feeling much gratitude for.

It’s been almost 2 weeks of feeling really good after a long stretch of not so good.

It fills me with joy when I can stride out with energy and notice that it actually feels good moving! I don’t think I will ever stop noticing how wonderful it is when I’m feeling good.

Having fresh vegetables from the farmer’s market gives me a reason to spend more time in the kitchen cleaning and prepping the delicious fresh food for our evening meal. Simple fresh foods are another gift I am grateful for. Tonight we are having fresh green beans with parsley, fresh cucumbers, and garden lettuce salad (all from the farmer’s market) for dinner.

What are the simple pleasures in your life today?

May you walk in beauty.

Mallard family

Fresh Green Beans at Farmers’ Market

Lettuce at Farmers’ Market

Back of Hollyhock Flower in my Garden

Sweet Corn

Bee Balm Flower almost ready to bloom