It's the Little Things

There's something about my daily requirement of coffee that's enjoyable on a level not shared with many other pleasures. It could be watching the dabble of cream fighting it's way against the black currents of liquid, or just the warmth between my hands, or - ahhhhh - that unmistakable smell, or the thought of the journey the beans made from the Colombian jungle to my mug.

Regardless, it's a simple thing, a simple thought.

There are other joys of the simple life - like the way the leaves crunch under your boots, the first time you put them on in October, or the way that particular song commands your hips to sway, or the drawings you find on your windshield when everything fogs over suddenly in your car. Then there's the smell in between the bindings of an old book, the sharp/soft combination of blades of grass - so sharp alone and so soft together, the unmistakable thigh burn after a run, the red-rosed cheeks that no blush could ever parallel, that color that only comes from walking briskly in the chilly air. The sensory appeal of slash-and-burn fields aflame - bright lights, delicious smoky scent.

A tender touch on a tender spot, maybe it's your neck, or your shoulder, or an intimate squeeze of a hip bone in the middle of a concert, or a hand rub complete with a good finger pull, a knowing look, an empathetic focus, the intently-listening-lean-forward action during the most boring story you've ever recited.

Spiral bound notebooks with limitless potential. Used book carts on sidewalks advertising someone else's former treasures for just a buck. Licking cake batter - raw egg warnings be damned. Lazy winter sunlight (of the 4:00 pm variety) filtering through a soft, cream colored curtain. The funny way tree bark sometimes smells like butterscotch. The eerily comforting echo of trains in the middle of the cold, dark night. The sight of a girl in a flowing skirt on the first day spring breaks free from winter - bare toes, all legs, on a bicycle with a basket.

Enjoy the simple things these coming months - you won't find this simple joy shivering in your vehicle at 4am on Black Friday waiting in anticipation for the doors of Wal-Mart to burst open. You won't find it tucked in the seats of a brand new BMW. You won't find it on a sparkly white yacht. Those little things, the ones you can hold in your pocket and carry around with you like a lucky penny - present themselves in unlikely places and require patience and careful observation. They won't be wrapped in bows or cost much.

El amor de la vida sencilla - love the simple life - today, tomorrow, always.