When it comes to simple pleasures, nothing beats contentment and joy like a good old-fashioned cup of ice cream. On a hot day, there is nothing more refreshing than enjoying a cold treat that melts in your mouth. And who can resist the happiness that comes from hot chocolate on a rainy day? It’s the simple things in life that bring the most joy.

Another example of a simple pleasure that brings contentment and joy is taking a walk in the rain. There is something about getting wet and muddy that makes me feel alive. It’s exhilarating to feel the rain pouring down on my head and the mud squishing between my toes. Walking in the rain is definitely one of the simple things that produces the most marvelous results.

Why simple things are often better

One of the reasons why simple things are often better is because they have time to grow on us. We can appreciate them more as we get to know them better. Another reason is that simple things tend to be more genuine. They are not overshadowed by all the distractions and complexities of life. Simple things remind us of what is truly important.

When we take the time to appreciate the simple things in life, we find happiness and contentment that can be hard to find elsewhere. These simple pleasures remind us to slow down and enjoy the moment.

Appreciation of simple pleasures gives us the ability to filter out the complicated things that life throws at us. At the moment there is “military action” (yes, I’m being diplomatic in my description of what’s going on) in Ukraine. If war isn’t complicated… will someone tell me what is!

Even when things are looking bad and there is an imminent threat to our life and our well-being; the body, mind, and soul will seek safety and sanctuary. It is a simple act of survival. Getting through another day unharmed is the most appreciated of the “simple pleasures”.

I woke up this morning with a sense of gratitude. I opened my eyes and found that my heart was still beating and my lungs were still breathing. Thankyou.

How do simple things produce marvelous results?

It can be an object, a person, or an action that appears at first glance to be a simple thing. Here’s something to consider, think about the simple act of having pizza delivered…. For me, it involves finding a menu, choosing the base and toppings, and making a phone call.

That’s simple, right? I’m not thinking about the complexities of making dough, going to the market for ingredients, keeping the oven hot, making sure the gas bill is paid, is the tax and insurance valid for my delivery drivers’ scooter, will Matt have money to pay for the pizza on arrival?

For me, it’s pizza, in a cardboard box, full of steaming hot food and maybe a slab of cheesecake in a funky little plastic box with the pizzeria logo on top. Don’t get me started about the complexity of shaping plastic into a box with a cool motif on it.

Back to the pizza…

My simple request is carried out in exchange for some printed paper and some metal tokens.

The pizza has a marvelous effect. It’s tasty and warps my tastebuds into a frenzy of action, my brain fires off pleasure signals, and as I fill my stomach a feeling of satiation happens… Cheese does that really well… and I get a sense of joy from dough and mozzarella and tomatoes and something spicy.

I like good pizza. It makes me happy.

Yesterday’s News Kept Me Warm

Several years ago I started riding a motorbike to commute to work and back. I didn’t have much money and I couldn’t afford Goretex or fancy waterproof, heated riding clothes. I had a helmet, some gloves, and whatever coat I’d managed to buy at the local charity shop.

Some mornings were bitterly cold. It could take several kicks to get the bike to start and the exhaust gasses would be condensing in the tailpipes before they even escaped into the air.

One morning, a colleague mentioned a trick for staying warm on a bike. Remember that they’re rapid little machines and the wind chill can be substantial.

The solution was simple and yet wonderfully marvelous.

I was encouraged to fill the inside of my jacket with sheets of newspaper. Flat sheets were slid into the space between the lining and the leather. Rolling it into tubes filled the arms of the jackets and still let my limbs move easily. The last thing to do was to crumple up the pages of the previous night’s Birmingham Evening Mail and then flatten them out again. Pushing them into the front of my jacket created a multi-layered quilt of newsprint.

That simple thing kept me warm. How marvelous is that?

Another pop at complexity

Home-made popcorn. Dried Maize, some super hot oil, one big saucepan with a lid, and as if by magic… there is the beautiful sound of kernels popping on the stove.

I like watching the handful of little orange nuggets burst forth into hot tasty popcorn.

The popping as they burst, the lid starting to lift because I overestimated how much popcorn the pan could handle, and the mad dash to save my simple precious food from spilling out and burning on the gas hob; all of it is part of the process of making a marvel out of simplicity.

I’m going to make some this evening, and if you’ll excuse the segue into movies, I will be watching something produced by Marvel Studios while I munch my way through a big bowl of burst maize.

I hope that your day is as simple and as marvelous as mine.

And finally…

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All the best,

Matt The Happy Human