The Little Things - Appreciating Simple Pleasures

By Erin Froehlich

Work, home, sleep. Work, home, sleep. It's easy to get caught up and run down with so many demands made of us. We're all doing our best to get through them and with so much to do, it's easy to be caught up in the monotony of life. How did this happen? This isn't how life should be! Life isn't supposed to be about getting through it. When you were a child, your sense of wonder came naturally and you dreamed of all the adventures you would have as a grown-up. You took time to imagine and explore. You'd pick up ordinary stones and sticks and find special value in them. This is the wisdom of children, and the real source of continued happiness. As adults with many responsibilities, our focus tends toward the chores to be done at home, and the time to be spent at work, but what about the joy? Life is also about the fun you have, they joy you get, and the smiles you share in a fleeting moment. Is work necessary? Yes, of course. But who says you can't have both? A change in mood and a lifted spirit is as easy as slowing down and noticing the little things, the simple pleasures that make an ordinary activity bright. Adjust your eyes and let down the walls around you. Practice mindfulness. Tune into your senses. Bask in the feeling of warm sun on your shoulders. Savor the refreshment of cool glass of lemonade. Revel in the smell of lilac bushes. Enjoy the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. Focus on the beautiful rather than the ugly. Train your eyes to notice small things and you will find yourself a happier person. Below is a list of some of the most common simple pleasures people enjoy and an assortment from around the office here. Share this list with your own coworkers, friends, and family. It's something all people love to share and it's bound to create even more joy.

The Most Common Shared Joys

Sleeping in on a gray, rainy day.

Finding money in your pocket you didn't know was there.

Making brief eye contact with an attractive stranger.

Skinny dipping.

A real letter or package sent through snail mail.

Being the last one to pass before the light turns red.

Telling your own true story to an interested person or group.

Seeing a friend stumble and then try to play it off.

Hearing the perfect song for the moment.

The first sip of a cool beverage when you're really thirsty.

An unexpected glimpse of bare skin on an attractive stranger.

Saying the same thing at the same time.

The pull-through parking spot.

Putting on clothes or snuggling in a blanket that is fresh from the dryer.

A beautiful view.

Reminiscing about the old times with your closest friends.

An unexpected compliment.

A good laugh.

The feeling after a good workout.

Relaxing outdoors on a nice day.

Holding hands with a loved one.

Playing in water.

Making someone smile.

Finishing a project.

Collected Joys from Around the Office

Marketing

"The in-between faces people make when you pause a movie." Erin F.

"I love talking a walk around the outside of the building with my colleagues! :D"- Sarah D.

"The 'tick tick tick' sound when people are typing on keyboards"-Tadd M.

"I love when I walk outside in the early morning, of what will be a balmy hot day, that steamy smell coming off the grass and the sense that it's not hot, yet...."-Kristy .

"Finding out your favorite team won the night before."-Jim P. "

When a great song I forgot I loved comes up on a shuffled playlist" -Jon G.

Information Technology

"I like the fact that I can get away with having Cookie Crisps, while my kid eats plain o cheerios." -Kham I.

"The crazy, but accurate, drawings your kids plaster everywhere." - Seth P.

"Friday" -Moises C.

Finance

"Humble heart of my son always makes me happy." -Fekadu T.

Call Center

"Knowing that when you come home, whether it's a good day or a bad day, your dogs will always be excited to see you and make you smile!" -Jessica S.

Administration

"When you talk about an experience you just had, and the person you're talking to experienced the same thing, so you end up with a great connection." - Nancy F.