Simple Pleasures

Hello friends,

I've been feeling introspective lately. But when am I not?

   I feel like this year has thrown me a lot of curve balls. And in general I've had a hard time enjoying things. But I've made it a goal, both within myself and alongside my friends, to try to enjoy every second. To find joy in as many moments as I can.

​   And with things like holidays, for example, I've grown up not too fond of Thanksgiving or Christmas. Something about it has always made me anxious. And Christmas music--a lot of the choir kind of songs freak me out. And I still get that weird feeling in my gut when I hear that music or when there's that certain feeling in the air. But this year, I've been trying to enjoy the festivities. Like yes, I will try to look cute and dress up for Halloween. Yes, I will carve a pumpkin this year (for the first time in maybe a decade). Yes, I do plan to bake Christmas cookies asap. I'm trying to enjoy it all. 

   So for today's post, I wanted to celebrate some of the simple pleasures I've been enjoying lately. And if you're reading this, feel free to comment down below some of your simple pleasures!

Feeling Present Through Solitude

   I've gotten pretty good at being alone. And I've learned how to really appreciate solitude and spending time with myself, this year more than ever before. Walking and coffee dates are a couple of my favorite ways to a enjoy my time alone.

   I've found a couple of parks that are populated enough where I don't feel to fearful to trek alone, and I've usually got a podcast in my ear (typically I'm catching up on Cassia Tierney's 9 Lives Podcast because I adore her and I'm a major fan of her pod). I'm moving at my own pace, looking within and feeling my feelings. Sometimes I'm among the trees, and sometimes I'm just exploring the neighborhood with an epic playlist in my ears. The opportunities are endless, but they allow me to reflect or to just dive into active meditation.

   As for coffee--sometimes it's after these long walks that I'm craving a little treat. I'll take my coffee home with me, water my plants, and start doing chores and whatnot (it's that burst of motivation when the caffeine hits, I'm telling you!).

​Being Alone in Nature

   Like I said, I've felt better about going to some parks alone since they're more populated. Sometimes I'll trail run, sometimes I'll slow down and just trek. But when I'm taking things slower, I'm stopping to pet the moss, to feel the plants. I'm stopping and saying hi to the historic Three Sisters trees. I'm feeling connected with the strong trees and the flowing wild flowers. And often times, I'm thinking about my mom.

​   Last time I visited, which was this past weekend, I put on an album that I used to listen to when I was driving to visit my mom in the hospital. I eventually just sat on a bench and looked over the prairie grass, how the sun shown through the strands and how crisp the air felt on my face. And I just thought about her. And imagined her with me. And just relived the moments I got to see her. It's the best way I can think to grieve for the time being. There's something about being among the plants that sometimes just makes me feel spiritual in a way. Connected.

Taking The Day Slow

   I've been really trying to slow down lately. I feel like I've been grieving for months, and trying everything in my power to just go, go, go. Distract. Stay busy. My friend Cooper and I have had the routine of hiking or doing something active together once a week. But the past couple hikes have felt more calm. No mileage goal for a second. Just taking our time to look at plants, check out neat graffiti, search for fossils. These moments of slowing down have felt much-needed.

   We recently revisited a park we've been to previously, where we're sometimes blessed with the presence of cows across the parking lot. I love to go visit them. Gentle, giant babies. Feeding them, speaking to them, and petting them always makes me feel so happy for the rest of the day ahead. I think they're my favorite animal. These guys just mean so much to me.

Being Festive With Friends

   Like I said earlier, I'm trying to break that stale feeling I have for the holidays (and life in general) by embarking on adventures with my friends. Trying new things. Or doing nostalgic things that I haven't done in a decade, like carving pumpkins and hopping on a hay ride. To be fair, that hay ride ended up being scary--not because it was haunted, but because it drove through like a foot of water. Anyways.

   Something I was so excited to do with my friends Tori and Sam was trying out a Hot Pot restaurant. We were all a bit nervous, just because we didn't know the order of how the restaurant worked and we're all a bit awkward. But once we asked a billion questions and started cooking, we had a great time. And I think we were all proud that we tried something new. These two have made these past few months a lot more manageable, and I'm excited to see what other neat things we'll test out in the future. But just making the plans with them to try a new restaurant or to do a group activity has made my heart feel full.

And those are some simple, yet majorly appreciated pleasures of mine. Huge shout out to my buddies who have made this year more manageable than what it was. There will be ups and downs, but I'm taking it day by day. What're your simple pleasures?

​Keep on grinning!