What are your favorite simple pleasures?

[Wife of Bath]

For me, the list could be endless- I think finding joy in small things makes everyday life so incredibly pleasant.

Slipping on a new pair of socks for the first time.

Crawling into a freshly made bed, with cool, crisp sheets.

Watching the sun rise through the trees from our bedroom.

The smell of worn leather, and the suppleness of it in my hands.

Folding laundry warm out of the dryer.


What are yours?

 

[toubab]

Picking up a very wary cat and putting her on my lap and having her stay there while I petted her gave me pleasure. Especially when she started purring.

 

[Tathagata]

Taking time each day to make Chinese tea gong fu style.

Cooking for my Grand Daughter

A quiet house

Meditation

 

[Wife of Bath]

When a cake slips out of the pan just perfectly onto the cooling rack.

Listening to the 'tink, tink, tink' of sealing jars after they come out of the boiling water.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Play Ground threads do it for me.

 

[unregistered]

 

[DesEsseintes]

Play Ground threads do it for me.

Winning a private bet with myself about what Mr Johnson's response was going to be to this thread when I saw he had posted.

And my son's laughter as he throws things or kicks me or is generally violent.

And a new, heavy, leather belt, with a thick silver buckle.

And a lightly chilled bottle of Condrieu or Meursault.

And the first apples from the tree.

And the first sentence on a virgin sheet, written with a beautiful pen at a beautiful desk.

And so many more - almost infinitely more.

 

[Que]

Winning a private bet with myself about what Mr Johnson's response was going to be to this thread when I saw he had posted.

And my son's laughter as he throws things or kicks me or is generally violent.

And a new, heavy, leather belt, with a thick silver buckle.

And a lightly chilled bottle of Condrieu or Meursault.

And the first apples from the tree.

And the first sentence on a virgin sheet, written with a beautiful pen at a beautiful desk.

And so many more - almost infinitely more.

Makes me wonder about the etymology of the word malevolent. Especially since I tend to spell it maleviolent, till corrected.

 

[CandiCame]

Quiet for me too. It's so creepy and I love it. The kind of quiet that you only get at like... 4-5am.

That clack-clack-clack noise that metal knitting needles make. Not the wooden ones. I always break those and they make me nervous. Everyone loves them but me.

There's this feeling, and I don't know how to describe it because I don't know if other people do it. When shit is new, before you find out what it is.
For example, I remember the first time I felt it. When I was a toddler, like before I went to school, there was this store called "Roses" that is where Big Lots is now. I was really sick and I was there with my grandpa and I saw this.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSNmjORTIcp1bDuFA8O6qRSjCA99tn65D5GBGYz9Ef_3RXKhmE7

And I was like, "What the fuck? Who is that?" Talking about Miles "Tails" Prower. On the box art he didn't look like a fox. I thought he was a baby hedgehog. That emotion is what I like. That's what I'm talking about. When I found out that he was a fox, based on a Keaton, etc, that emotion went away. I don't know what it's called. It's a type of interest, but it's different from normal interest. And I don't remember ever feeling it as an adult. I think that it's an emotion that you only have as a little bitty kid.

Edit: I like watching little kids have it too. I like seeing it on other people. Their little faces light up and you know that they've discovered something that they really like. We need a word for it.

 

[Wife of Bath]

The instant my body settles into a run

Having my hair played with, braided, touched

Yes! These.

The cool burn in my lungs from riding in cold weather.

Watching my orchids bud and flower.

Horses nickering when I walk into the barn.

The herd running to the gate when I come out to bring them in from pasture.

Using a really nice pen on smooth, heavy writing paper.

Opening the mailbox to find my favorite magazines, or letters from friends.

 

[DesEsseintes]

Makes me wonder about the etymology of the word malevolent. Especially since I tend to spell it maleviolent, till corrected.

I'm sure you could work it out - volent, like Old French 'veult', going back to the Latin, meaning will. Mal - bad. evil. So male-volent - the will to evil.

I need to be back in full time teaching. My pedagogy is leaking unpleasantly: sorry.

 

[unregistered]

 

[CandiCame]

How are your alls kids so loud. Bitesize hardly ever talks... I want her to be all loud and shit. When she laughs she just kinda vibrates. It's creepy.

 

[DesEsseintes]

Edit: I like watching little kids have it too. I like seeing it on other people. Their little faces light up and you know that they've discovered something that they really like. We need a word for it.

I'd call it teaching. It's the single biggest pleasure in the work, and I have it almost every day whilst tutoring. That 'Oh! Oh, that fits! That makes sense at last!' moment is what makes everything worthwhile.

 

[DesEsseintes]

How are your alls kids so loud. Bitesize hardly ever talks... I want her to be all loud and shit. When she laughs she just kinda vibrates. It's creepy.

Is she half-Tamagotchi? I only ask because it seems faintly possible, with you.

 

[Lord Pmann]

I need to be back in full time teaching. My pedagogy is leaking unpleasantly: sorry.

A round of antibiotics will clear that up.

 

[CandiCame]

I'd call it teaching. It's the single biggest pleasure in the work, and I have it almost every day whilst tutoring. That 'Oh! Oh, that fits! That makes sense at last!' moment is what makes everything worthwhile.

It's not exactly teaching tho... Because they do it on their own. Like Bitesize did it when she realized that she could throw shit. I didn't teach her to do that, but she got that look. In fact, if you're actively learning, it fucks it up.

 

[unregistered]

 

[DesEsseintes]

It's not exactly teaching tho... Because they do it on their own. Like Bitesize did it when she realized that she could throw shit. I didn't teach her to do that, but she got that look. In fact, if you're actively learning, it fucks it up.

But that's what good teaching does. I agree with you that there is a distinction between the completely serendipitous moment of understanding, but the best teaching takes the child to self-discovery, rather than pointing out everything fun before they have a chance to see it. You put them close enough to something amazing and tip toe away, and watch the light dawning.

 

[CandiCame]

Is she half-Tamagotchi? I only ask because it seems faintly possible, with you.

Possibly. I think it's more that she thinks that she has psychic powers. I think she tries to communicate telepathically and get pissed when no one hears her. Like if she gets to the point where she actually has to talk, she's already angry. Every time she says anything she sounds pissed. Like you should have already done whatever it is. When she was really little I thought that there was something wrong with her because she would just kinda... sit there. Like kids are supposed to wake up and start babbling. She didn't. She would wake up and not tell anybody. We had to do a "feeding schedule" because she wouldn't tell anybody she was hungry until she was starving and angry about it.

Wait, is that why she thinks that we're psychic?

 

[Lord Pmann]

1. A new pair of shoes that fit somewhat snugly, but stretch as you wear them the first day.

2. The smell of freshly baked cookies (baked by someone other than myself).

3. A clean car.

4. A nicely pressed pair of dress pants.

5. Rain, thunder and lightning whilst I sleep.

 

[Que]

An unbruised, perfectly ripe avocado.

The perfect amount of foam on a chilled root beer.

Finding an unread or forgotten plot of a favorite author.

Reading in a snug bed on an overcast day with rain against the panes.

The bright dawning of a beautiful smile of a child upon learning of a surprise visit.

 

[DesEsseintes]

Possibly. I think it's more that she thinks that she has psychic powers. I think she tries to communicate telepathically and get pissed when no one hears her. Like if she gets to the point where she actually has to talk, she's already angry. Every time she says anything she sounds pissed. Like you should have already done whatever it is. When she was really little I thought that there was something wrong with her because she would just kinda... sit there. Like kids are supposed to wake up and start babbling. She didn't. She would wake up and not tell anybody. We had to do a "feeding schedule" because she wouldn't tell anybody she was hungry until she was starving and angry about it.

Wait, is that why she thinks that we're psychic?

I was right. She went into standby mode.

 

[CandiCame]

I was right. She went into standby mode.

http://i.imgur.com/gPtSMgJ.gif

 

[lovetoread]

I enjoy holding hands for no real reason other than just touching and warm towels.