Simple Pleasures

I had a really good conversation with Bean tonight. I always love spending time with her. It's kind of cool actually because it is like we are leading parallel lives in a lot of ways so I feel like she understands everything that comes out of my mouth even if it doesn't make sense to other people. One of the things we talked about was the ability to find joy and inspiration in small things. I can honestly say that even though school is crazy busy right now and I should be freaking out with stress, things are actually good. It is largely because I've been finding lately that the smallest things can leave me feeling happy or inspired. Something someone says in a conversation, a sentence overheard in the hallway, a comment made in a class, a beautiful sky, Christmas lights...anything is fair game for leaving me with a smile and a sense of satisfaction and contentment that runs far deeper than I have experienced in a long time. One example of this is the fact that yesterday I bought myself holiday rice krispies. I have a lot of dietary restrictions so the cereal I tend to eat isn't all that exciting. But holiday rice krispies have coloured pieces in them! I am super excited about this. In fact, I was so excited when we were in the grocery store that I was explaining to my roomie who was with me why I was so pumped that I could by them and some random guy in the aisle started laughing at my enthusiasm. And I didn't eve care. Now every time I see the box sitting on top of the fridge or a pour a bowl of them they make me smile. I think the ability to find joy and wonder in the smallest things is something that people lose as they grow up. Kids find everything super amazing. Seriously, when you are 6 smelly markers are just about the greatest things on the planet. They are amazing. How do they make them smell like that? Plus they are just great markers. For some reason as we grow up this sense of wonder tends to dim a little bit. It's something that I don't want to lose though. Having gone through periods in my life where it took a lot to make me smile, let alone experience deep joy in just being alive, and now returning to this place I feel like the ability to let small things affect you in this way is a sign of good mental health. At least I know it is for me. So I am going to continue to smile every time I eat my coloured rice krispies.