Monday, September 22, 2008

Simple Pleasures

I spent this weekend doing very ordinary, but very gratifying, things.

On Saturday morning I made vegetable stock, which I then used to make tomato-garlic soup for my stepdaughter. There was something so wonderful about making soup for someone I love on a crisp fall morning. I then delivered the soup to Johns Hopkins hospital, which involved a very lovely drive along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The weather was beautiful, the traffic was light, and I got a chance to listen to some great tunes (Eva Cassidy and Chuck Brown, followed by Annie Lennox). When I arrived at the hospital, I was pleased to find H in good spirits. She seems to be adjusting to the new hospital and taking her treatment in stride. We had a brief but very pleasant visit, and then I had another good drive down the parkway. The rest of the day was spent running errands, followed by a wonderful dinner with my fiance at one of our favorite restaurants. We hadn't been there in a while, and the wait staff treated us especially well.

On Sunday, my fiance and I walked down to the shops at Union Station. I needed to pick up contact lenses and have new lenses put into two old pairs of glasses that I am recycling. While we waited for the glasses, I bought some new shoes (something that I do about once every 18 months), and then we went for coffee. We also spent some time browsing in the book store, which is something we both love to do. It was a nice, rather lazy, trip to the mall. I had been putting off the optician and shoe errands for about a month, but having J for company transformed the dreaded errands into a fun afternoon. Afterward J went up to Johns Hopkins to visit his daughter and I had some time alone to read and do sudoku (I confess to being totally addicted).

All in all, it was an uneventful yet really good weekend. I'm not sure if I'm generally acquiring a new appreciation for the little things in life or if my powers of appreciation are just particularly heightened right now because the energizing fall weather is finally arriving. Probably it's a bit of each. Whatever the cause, it feels good being able to get so much satisfaction out of the ordinary little things that make up most of life's moments.

5 comments:

Barbara said...

Life is, after all, a collection of little things, some of which seem more important that others. It's good that you are noticing and appreciating them. When errands become fun, you have really accomplished something!

Merle Sneed said...

My very best wishes to your stepdaughter.

It sounds like a perfect weekend!

Tess Kincaid said...

I am always energized in the fall, too! I become a sluggish hot blob in the summer months and am totally refreshed and motivated by the cool fall weather.

virtualjourney said...

Your post communicates a soothing rhythm to life, I feel the same way about being energized by the crisp autumn weather over here. Hadrian has really appreciated your comments and encouragement.

Reya Mellicker said...

It sounds like a perfect weekend. Simple pleasures are the best, aren't they?

Did you know it's National Stay At Home Week? I know you had to to go Baltimore, but otherwise, you did a great job of just hangin' in the 'hood.

I salute you!