THE NEXT 10 TINY PLEASURES OF THE NEW YEAR

Enjoy the outdoors

Continuing our could-do list of hopes (Post, Jan 4, 2023), both big and small and somewhat random, for this year:

29.  When you or I are feeling broken remember that we have been repaired.  If you (and I) have endured something devastating, think about why we survived.  Seldom do we survive on our own.  For me, God is always there.  

30.  Start or keep a mindfulness practice.  Be present in awareness without judgement.  Mindful.org is free.  Great free anti-ruminating tools are abundant. 

31.  Remember that it's hard to be happy when someone is mad at you.  That someone may be us.  When we are reminded of something hard that takes us out of the present, don't berate ourselves for remembering.  Some things we don't "get over."  We just get better at bearing--lots better.  

32.  As well, remember that we are not our thoughts and they do not define us.  

33.  Find silent places to come home to. Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) says that she would like to be in a place so silent and work so slowly that she would be able to hear herself living.  Me too from time to time.  I have a book, Quiet London by Siobhan Wall that can be a guide to the gentle and serene in other cities as well. One trip we found all the quiet places that she listed, a visit not on any tourist agenda. 

34.  Sit by a fire as often as possible, by the firepit or around the hearth indoors.  Winter is lasting long this year in most of the country.  Wood fires are the best of the season.  Enjoy the hypnotic dance of the flames. There's a reason the four elements are earth, air, fire and water. 

35.  Spend more time in parks, gardens and nature reserves.  Hang out by waterfalls, ponds and rivers.  Make these spots for mindful noticing:  willows, waterfowl, frogs and fish, children playing . . . .  

36.  Make the outdoors a second home.  Create outdoor rooms.  Add chairs and tables: on the lawn, under a tree, by a pool, on a patio.  Eat al fresco.  Set up a hoop, kick a ball, play tag, sit in the treehouse and read. 

37.  Garden:  herbs, veggies, flowers.  Forsythia in spring, Impatiens in early summer and Zinnias in high summer, pansies in the fall and Hellebores in winter.  

38.  Rely on your body.  My body almost always knows what's best even when my mind is not helpful.  Where does love reside?  In the body.  Where tenderness? The body too.  Where do we feel our emotions?  In our bodies.  Same with intuitions.  If all is not well, your body will know before you do.  If you're having an argument, your body will tell you to stop and make up.