I loved Kristen’s post from yesterday, which she entitled “On really, truly enjoying things.”
Am I great at enjoying things alllllllll the time? No.
Are there times where I’m just in a mood and nothing really feels worth noticing or celebrating? Yes.
But I think that over the years I have made progress in my appreciation journey. As a planner, I definitely get enjoying out of anticipation, dreaming and scheming and looking forward to things. I don’t mean that in a glib way — I really feel this kind of forward motion energy adds to my life! I’m less naturally inclined towards the in-the-moment enjoyment that Kristen described in her post. But I do think I have gotten better at it over the years!
I think that journaling has helped with this — because knowing I will be writing about the highlights of a given experience helps me to notice them more! I also find that thinking about the elements in my day in the morning (ie, the act of forward short-term planning) sort of primes my attention to notice the highlights while they are happening, even though this is sort of an anticipatory act.
Kristen also noted that sometimes things that feel bad can make the other situations feel so much sweeter. A simple example: I am absolutely giddy running in 60 degree weather because I do so many runs under much less ideal conditions.
I love the song “Dinner with Friends” by Kacey Musgraves because to me it is about all of these little moments and experiences — big and small — that we might take for granted, but are really everything because they are what it is to be alive.
Her lyrics:
Dinner with friends in cities where none of us live
The face that somebody makes when you give ’em a gift
Every once in a while when I wake up early without tryin’ and catch a sunrise
The feeling you feel when you’re looking at something you made
The layers and ruffles of my favorite pink champagne cake
My home state of Texas
The sky there, the horses and dogs, but none of their laws
The shape of his eyes
The shape of his nose
The cute way he mispronounces certain words
The smell of his clothes
Things I would miss
From the other side
Mm
I hope today brings you many little things to appreciate.
2 Comments
This is lovely. It’s always good to remind us to slowdown and appreciate the small things. Vacation time allows us to do this more as we are not rushed, and to-do list is paused for a while. I should bring back home this mindset.
Great to read yours and Kristen’s posts, I definitely find planning helps me anticipate things more too, and then pay more attention when they happen. But also consciously paying attention during a walk outside, with my kids, to that first sip of coffee etc. Not all the time, but even a few minutes a day can make all the difference, I find.