The Simple Pleasures of Life

The Simple Pleasures of Life

This past weekend was my Granddaughter’s 3^rd year Birthday.  It was a quiet celebration with just my son, daughter in law and Alyssa, my Granddaughter.  To my surprise, Alyssa acted as if she had been given the key to a candy store when she opened her present from her Mama and Papa.  It was a simple musical birthday card that she played with on and off for the 2 ½ days during my visit.  She also opened her other cards and cherished those as well but her musical card was her favorite.  Her face also lit up like a Christmas tree when we presented three lit candles on a small peach tart while singing Happy Birthday.  It seems that when her Mama mentioned earlier that week about her birthday on Friday, she stated that now we could have peaches.  Of course, we continued to enjoy her birthday with three candles in a piece of butternut squash, on another tart the next evening and then on her French toast  the following day.  Each time, she had the same joy on her face.

Alyssa has had a very simple upbringing, which might explain why she has very few wants and enjoys the company of others as opposed to wanting things and fancy sugar loaded foods to fill her life.  Her and her parents do not watch regular or cable TV which is usually loaded with commercials.  She occasionally watches a DVD for Children, commercial free.  She does not have mountains of toys and objects from which to choose, but instead really plays with the few toys she does possess.

If we think about it, how many of us can say that we enjoy simple pleasures.  The crash in the economy proves that a large portion of the population bought their pleasures using credit, accumulating large homes, furnishings, motor toys, clothes, etc.  With the “I want it now” attitude, we have pushed the simple pleasures aside and created a Material Monster to rule our lives.  Instead of spending quality time with each other, we give material things as a substitute.  When the economy crashed and people were not able to identify themselves with their Material Monster, many felt hopeless.

I believe that the crash with the economy was a wakeup call to many of us who use material things to gauge our lives as well as give our love.  It has forced many to look at the simple pleasures and within ourselves as to what is really important.  I can honestly say that it is the simple pleasures that Children and Adults remember and cherish the most.  From my own personal experience as a single mom for most of my son’s lives, my budget did not allow room for many “Things”.  We lived according to our means, we rarely ate out and I cooked healthy meals at home and we enjoyed each other’s company as opposed to watching hours of TV.  Our vacations consisted of several camping trips each summer and in general, spending a lot of quality time together.  To this day, we still talk about those times and my sons have even shared them with their wives.  It has never been about the things that I purchased as presents for them, it has always been about the memories of the time we spent together.

Even though my sons have been on their own for over ten years, we still have our memories of our Simple Pleasures that will last forever.  Ask yourself now, what will my memories be in my future and then begin to create them….there is always time to create memories of simple pleasures and mostly it is FREE.