Each time I go outside I can't help but look at the apple tree. It just looks like it feels better, which in turn, makes me feel better. I can't really explain why, it just does. Pleasure can be derived from such banal sources. It's always just around the corner, waiting to be discovered. We only have to be open to it, receptive in a passive way, not necessarily searching out right. I suppose when you are young and have so many things pulling on you, stretching you in six different directions, never done, really, then you need notes on the bathroom mirror to remind you to keep your antenna ever vigilant. Finding the pleasure in the little things is much harder, I guess, when you feel like every minute should count for something constructive.
Retirement has given us the blessing of extra time each day to spend how ever we each see fit, even if it is something that someone else would consider a waste of time. Have you ever done something and then stood there and thought 'Who is ever going to care that I did this?' If I have derived pleasure from doing it, what does it matter? Our schedule is still filled with obligations, to be sure, but there is still time to do more 'leisure' activities. Taking Maggie with Furry Friends has turned out to be rewarding and great fun, a small and simple way to give back, bring a little pleasure into what could be a dreary existence. I can't say who derives the most pleasure from the occasions, I just know it makes me count my blessings.
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