Life’s Simple Pleasures

Have you ever read the book, A Year in Provence, by Peter Mayle?

I first picked up his books about ten years ago. I’ve always been an avid reader, willing to try most genres, and his series of books about living in Provence was so easy to read, I was quickly captivated.

I know, there isn’t much literary bite to a series of books about a fifty-something English couple moving from rainy England to the countryside of Southern France, to fix up an old farmhouse. The central theme, the typical fish-out-of-water experience, has been written about ad nauseam. But what really attracted me to his entire series was the way in which he described life’s simple pleasures, something he was discovering anew in a small French town.

How Can We Enjoy Life’s Simple Pleasures Now?

Now that we are living in the age of the coronavirus, and most of us are either self-quarantined or sheltering in place, life’s simple pleasures have taken on more significance.

In fact, we wonder if we will ever be able to truly embrace and enjoy them again. A gathering of friends for dinner, a summer’s day at a crowded beach, a friendly hug to greet a loved one, or even the simple act of grocery shopping.

Our new normal seems anything but simple or easy to navigate. I don’t know about you, but I’m having a hard time focusing on much of anything. Even writing, which usually comes so naturally to me, has been a struggle.

So What can I do? What Can we all do?

I’ve decided, the only thing I can do is take joy in life’s simple pleasures that are still available to me.

Now that we are mostly living our lives at home, cooking has become a big part of my life. But rather than dreading the task, I’m more intentional about it, appreciating the fact that I can take random ingredients from my pantry, throw them together and make a comforting, home-cooked meal.

My husband and I are tending to the garden in our backyard. (I have never been so grateful to have a small patch of outdoor space in NYC.) We are celebrating the abundance of nature. We are more in-tune with the seasonal shifts and how that changes our garden.

I’m also spending more time with my pets. When I see one of our cats curled up on the couch in a patch of sunlight, I join them. (Many animal shelters now are looking for people to foster dogs and cats. If it’s something you’ve wanted to try, now is a perfect time. I wager it might help you as much as it helps the animal you foster.)

And, perhaps most importantly, as someone who is normally highly motivated and driven, I’ve stopped making myself feel guilty that I’m not getting enough done while I’m ‘stuck at home’. Instead, I’ve taken up hobbies that are purely pursuits to enjoy the passing of time, like coloring. (Yes, coloring!)

Be Kind to Yourself

The emotional toll of what we are experiencing right now is heavy. It’s not something you can just sweep under the rug, ignore, and get on with things. At least it’s not something I can do.

Rather than focusing on all the many tasks I should complete to improve my blog or find my next job (I work in TV and the industry is at a standstill right now), I’m accepting the fact that I’m just not going to be super productive right now.

We are living through something that humans probably haven’t experienced since the flu pandemic of 1918 or the great depression. So if you’re like me and you normally put pressure on yourself to get shit done, stop. There is nothing normal about what we are experiencing right now and we can’t expect to feel the motivation and inspiration that is normally a part of our lives.

Instead, I’m trying to be kind to myself and others. I’m trying to take the energy that I do have to focus on the simple pleasures in life, whether that’s a video chat with my girlfriends, watching Netflix, or doing a jigsaw puzzle with my husband.

During this challenging and chaotic time,  be kind, and give yourself permission to do whatever you need to do to self soothe and feel better.

Related: Stuck at home? Soothing things to do during the coronavirus outbreak

Where do we go from here?

Well, who knows?!

Right now, we don’t know what the future holds. We can just embrace each moment and each day as it comes, enjoying the simple pleasures that we might have overlooked in the past.

It’s amazing how perspective changes everything.

Hang in there my friends. Stay healthy and safe.

xoxoxo