Simplicity and comfort may be the better bargain
April 1, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Pursuit of Happiness
Pride in speed and stress over not enough time for life are common. We pay more for pre-packaged servings and multitasking in the car is frequent. A lot of people recognize that this just doesn’t feel right, but revert to equally bad habits when things get tough. If you can stand to watch the news anymore you may have encountered some of the sideline stories accompanying the state of the economy:
- Candy sales are skyrocketing and being attributed to a need for comfort food.
- Americans can no longer afford to eat out every night (I’m not sure which Americans ever could, but certainly cutting back sounds familiar.)
- Americans have forgotten how to cook (really?)
- Stress and obesity levels aren’t improving any
It’s enough to make anyone reach for the mashed potatoes and gravy. Maybe we’ve just gotten a little too caught up in the end result and stopped appreciating the process. Comfort and efficiency just don’t sound like a natural pairing.
That goes for work, life, family, and food. I’m not saying that anyone should be stuck in the kitchen more than they want to be or that [insert diet here] is the way to go. Just that maybe we all could look around at what is ‘instant’ in our lives and revert one or two of them to the slower traditional forms. A little more time and care in the making of something may help us stop rushing around. It can also mean more time spent with family building simple traditions. For example, there is real comfort in a bowl of hot cereal in the morning or a cup of hot chocolate in the evening. Whether you’re a fan of oatmeal, cornmeal mush, or cream of wheat as long as you’re conservative with the butter and sugar, it’s very healthy. Even hot chocolate when you have control over the type of milk and amount of sugar can be better than what comes in the little packets. And anything you make ‘from scratch’ is more customizable – add some dried fruit to the cereal as it cooks or some hazelnut flavoring to the hot chocolate.
Many of the ‘instant’ improvements really only shave off five or ten minutes and one or two dirty dishes, but can add a couple of dollars or more. Have some fun with rediscovering the ‘old-fashioned’ way of doing things. Even disasters can be bonding experiences.
Are there things that you have rediscovered? Or refused to do/make in the most efficient manner possible?
The value of adding joy to the everyday moments
March 11, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Pursuit of Happiness
It’s funny how people tend to focus on the big moments and events in life as being the most joyful; things like graduation,weddings, etc. And these should be joyful occasions, but they aren’t nearly frequent enough to live on joyfully. It’s the small everyday things where a drop of pleasure repeated will multiply and stretch to last.
Here’s a simple way to start adding more joy into the everyday moments. Start by looking at your daily routine for the tasks and moments that you repeat so often that they are almost unconscious. Things like brushing your teeth or grabbing that first cup of coffee. Pick one and then think about ways to bring more pleasure and joy to that moment, using all five senses. For example, are the coffee cups in your cupboard there out of convenience (free, cheap, gifts) or is each one truly a representation of the perfect coffee cup? The right shape, color, thinness, to suit your mood on a given day? If not, start weeding out the ones that are simply functional and begin a quest for mugs that feel, look, and taste the way you want them too; bringing just a little more joy into your day, everyday. There’s no time limit and no rules. Enjoy the process of bringing beauty and pleasure into your surroundings in small, inexpensive ways that don’t add clutter or simply more ‘stuff’.
And yes, even brushing your teeth can be brought to a new level – try different toothpastes until you find one you really like the taste of (comparatively anyway!) Look for toothbrush holders that make you smile or get one of those faucet attachments with LED lights that makes the water look colored. (Brushed Chrome Colored Faucet Light Heat Sensitive Color Changing)
If you keep with this, gradually improving your experience with your daily routine it won’t be all that long before moving through the day feels a bit easier and lighter.
