Enjoying the Good Things in Life

How many of us so often miss the good life? How often do we envy someone else’s life or even just not enjoy life? I have, in the past, taken things for granted. I have eaten without enjoying what I eat; I have looked without appreciating what I see; I have had without realizing what I have. It is so important to enjoy life everyday and to be excited about the things to come.

It doesn’t have to be huge to be exiting or appreciated. It is all about quality of life. It is about enjoying a cup of really good local coffee instead of instant coffee and it is about enjoying eating out of beautiful plates instead of plastic ones. It is about enjoying the feeling of the sun on your skin or the coolness of the grass. That is life in abundance and it is quality of life too.

Here are some ideas to help you appreciate the good things:

• Drink plunger coffee instead of instant coffee (even if you need to drink less)

• Enjoy a good bottle of wine (even if you need to drink less)

• Eat fruit only in season because the best fruit out of season is like the worst fruit in season.

• Cook wholesome meals that are satisfying.

• Grow an herb garden so you always have a supply of fresh herbs. Then you don’t need to use dried ones.

• Set the table with pretty crockery and cutlery. It’s like eating at a boutique hotel everyday.

• Use fabric napkins instead of serviettes. It’s all about luxury which can be easily achieved.

• Take a walk in the garden before you go to work to appreciate the sound of the birds or the rustling of the trees.

• Choose to live close to work so that your time driving is reduced.

• Grow flowers that you can cut and use in your home.

• Appreciate it when a cat walks up to you to be stroked. Not many will do this with strangers.

• Walk to the shops. It is a good change and gives you time to relax.

• Use fabric carry bags instead of plastic ones.

• Enjoy being able to cuddle up to your husband rather than having to sleep alone.

• Buy good quality furniture that you can appreciate. In our first eight months of marriage we could only afford one double-seater leather couch but we thoroughly enjoy the luxury.

• Avoid plastic at all cost!!! Plastic does nothing to help you appreciate the good things because plastic has this feeling of being disposable; of being worthless and easily discarded. Buy wood, cast iron, ceramics, or metal instead.

• As much as possible use home-made products instead of bought products (the quality and health benefit is so much better).

• Exercise outside in the fresh air and sunshine rather than in an air-conditioned building with artificial lighting.

• Enjoy roughing it to help you appreciate nature and also luxury, when you have it.

• If you are going to fly, leave an hour earlier so you can relax at the Airport Lounge without being rushed.

A high quality of life does not mean more stuff. To enjoy life in abundance you actually need to have less. Having too much clutters our thoughts and our capacity for appreciation is exceeded. Having less helps you to stay focused. Enjoy the simple things in life!

Standing out

My husband and I are on the move. Staying in a short-term rental for four months; then in a backpacker’s lodge for just over a week; then with family for a few days over Christmas; then in a guest house for three days; then with the other family for six days; then we will still see... As mentioned on the Fascinating Feminine page I go with my husband wherever his work takes him.

Over this time I’ve had lots to observe but what I would like to recount is our stay at the backpacker’s lodge. It is not the most elegant accommodation but attracts the most interesting people (mostly from overseas). The owner of the establishment, Nel, is a small woman with long blonde hair. She is a little scatter-brained but ever so sweet and concerned with the guests’ comfort. Being 700m from the beach most of the guests are dressed in shorts and T-shirts. In particular the women wear very short shorts and tank tops.

One morning I was in the country-style kitchen making tea. There were a number of other guests getting ready for a day at the beach. Some were making bacon and eggs and others were pouring milk into their bowls of cereal. All dressed in shorts and T-shirts. Nel came into the kitchen and my eyes could not help but be instantly drawn to her. She was wearing a light blue halter-neck dress and sandals. Her hair was loose and her face was fresh. In fact she looked like the only woman there: she stood out like colour in a world of grey. All the others women in the kitchen were much younger and yet they faded into the background in comparison. I had a first-hand experience of the effect in a room full of people and it was then that it really hit me. There is something magical in dressing feminine; something that distinguishes you from the rest.

I thought “this is exactly why men are drawn to feminine women because it is so plainly obvious they are women. They look so very different to men.” We really could all do with more skirts and less jeans.