Pleasure

Feeling very tired this morning...not enough sleep. Need a little boost to center myself and get on track before I pull on my "mask" and head to the salt mine. It seemed a little Natalie Goldberg might be in order. Today I grabbed Wild Mind and flipped open to this:

Make a list of what pleases you, all for yourself, not because your mom, your girlfriend, your aunt likes it. ... Now write for ten minutes about one pleasure on your list. It is a very kind act to take a friend's hand and show him or her the pleasure you have in something.

Here are just a few things that please me this morning:
* lemongrass tea
* seashells
* warm summer mornings
* bananaquits chirping beyond the bedroom shutters
* the side of my boyfriend's neck
* the tiniest glancing touch of his skin, just enough to know he's there
* the Smith River (always)
* the smell of coconut anything (instantly transports me to "summer")
* the delight I feel when I imagine my nieces' faces
* New Orleans' French Quarter
* the prickliness of dried salt on my skin when I throw my shirt on after a swim in the bay
* the zillions of stars we're able to see in our very dark night sky
* chocolate dipped biscotti
* the smoothness of big river rocks
* the delight of rereading a book and discovering I'm enjoying it just as much the second (or third) time through
* big oversized homemade muffins
* David Sedaris
* driving with the sunroof open blasting a tape of my boyfriend playing music
* drive-in theaters (I'm going to make my own when we get stateside)
* road trips
* the delight of waking up in a tent and realizing there's nothing to do that day except enjoy being outside
* pie (always pie!)

Today I'll grab that spiral notebook that permanently resides in the bag I tote to work and find a quiet moment somewhere to write about one of these.

May you find a few minutes in your day to ponder one of your pleasures, too.