Thursday, April 25, 2013

It's The Little Things!

The Gardens at Biltmore Estate - Asheville, NC
April 21, 2013

Depending on whether you are a "glass half-full or glass half-empty" kind of person, you may have looked at the title of this post and decided it was either going to be a gripe fest or an uplifting few minutes of all good things.  Well, its going to be BOTH!  For me, little things do mean a lot.  I'm a very simple person who chooses to look at life through a simple lens and am grateful to have cultivated the habit of letting simple pleasures mean a lot.  It doesn't take much to make me happy, but on the other hand, neither does it take much to make me sad.  Little things add up, so here a few things that are making me happy these days along with a few that are making me pause!

Little HAPPY things........
 1) Tulips - It's a toss-up between tulips and gerbera daisies as to which is my favorite spring flower, but when at Biltmore Estate during their spring Festival of Flowers, it's tulips no doubt.  The primary reason we hold on to our season passes from year to year is to visit their amazing gardens during each growing season.  The tulips were amzing!

2) A view like this.............

...........that was all mine for an entire weekend.  

3) Coffee - I'm an all day coffee drinker, but in keeping with my mantra of enjoying simple pleasures, I'm not real picky about it.  In fact, I'm not sure I've ever met a cup of coffee I DIDN'T like!  But as you can tell from this picture taken among the tulips......


...........my cup of coffee is never far from me.  And for some reason, on this particular day, I was savoring every sip of that simple cup of coffee from the nationwide gourmet coffee brewer AKA McDonalds!

4) A sense of anticipation - Bill is on his final countdown before the end of another successful academic year.  Only a couple of performances remain and he will be finished.  We are both excited about our summer plans (which will be revealed on Monday) and that quiet sense of excitement permeates our days and hours.

5) All things outdoors.  Need I say more??  When you read this, I will likely be on one of my favorite hiking trails with my good friends, Gene and Judi.  That makes me happy!

And the NOT-SO-HAPPY things..............

1)  A friend in need (and the helpless feeling that comes with not knowing how to help)!

2) Pollen (and red, itchy eyes that go along with it).

3) Watching my mom (who is 85) and otherwise healthy, suffer through acute bronchitis.

4)  Painful wrists/hands that will likely keep me from biking this year.

5)  A world where so many seem to have lost all hope.

And so you see what is on my mind as I write this on a rainy, windy Wednesday afternoon in East Tennessee.  So many more things come to mind, but I am most grateful for the fact that yes, in the whole scheme of things, these are "little" things.  And for every little "sad" thing, it takes me only a matter of seconds to balance that with something equally joyful!   I hope you see it the same way.

Tell me some of the LITTLE things on your mind today!     
   

12 comments:

  1. Good morning, Sharon! I definitely like Gerbera daisies better. I think it has to do with our CA climate not being ideal for tulips. They always look better in pictures than in person.

    Little things on my mind: how very much I love my new method of making coffee. I now think that 'my' coffee is better than Starbuck's! A re-newed love of reading (got another Anne Lamott book,) and looking forward to a day with a friend.

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  2. It never entered my mind that the blog would have anything negative, much less a list of them. I don't know if that means I'm an optimist or that I know you are.

    The little thing that is making me the most happy now is working from home. I love setting my own schedule from day to day. I'm learning to enjoy the smallest losses on the scale. The little ones add up to big ones.
    Lori

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  3. Yep, I love tulips too. They're blooming in full force here, along with the rhodies, apple blossoms and dogwoods. I'm happy for the string of warm, sunny (rain free!) days we've had this week. Just wish I didn't have to work and could be outside enjoying it.

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  4. Hi There, I have the same ups and downs as you have... I can get down due to all of the sadness and bitterness around me ---but I can get happy when being out in nature... I guess we all just need a good balance.

    I can't wait to hear about your summer plans. I'm sure they will be AWESOME.... Have you thought anymore about the RV???

    We leave for Ocean Isle Beach on the 4th ---and I'm sure we will enjoy it. However, I wonder if it will be even warm enough this year to sit on the beach and read--which we love to do... I hope so --but it's darn cold up here this morning... I usually get a little sun on my white legs by this time of the month---but not this year!!!! Crazy weather!!

    Hope you have a great week... Any hiking in your plans?
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  5. I hear you on the little things. The little 'unhappy' things often affect my mood/thoughts more profoundly than the big things. But there's always a bright spot to get me back on track.

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  6. I love your pictures and the tulips! I don't know a person in the world who doesn't have a list of not so happy things....but it's the Happy things that get us through.

    There is also a list for everyone of things they can't do...whether that be because of physical, locational, financial, haulted by fear, family obligations, etc.... so hold tight to what you CAN do...and for you, that is a very long list.

    So glad you are doing well and staying busy friend! Can't wait til Monday for the big reveal so I can begin imagining what your summer adventures will look like!

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    1. Oh I forgot my list... Little things:

      Hiking LeConte and staying in 3 weeks!!
      Hawaii in 3 weeks!!
      WLS in 6 weeks (go read my blog..ha)!!
      Seeing veggies popping up and strawberries forming in my garden... makes me happy.

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    2. PS...still waiting on the big "reveal" post! Ha!!

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  7. It's good being able to see the good even with the bad. Sometimes I get so overwhelmed with the bad. :)

    Right now, I'm just really happy to be home!

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  8. I love the little things too Sharon! I try to see the little things each day that make me happy. After all you have to smile when you see tulips like those in your photo.

    What makes me happy right now? The generosity of strangers - can't say more about that right now but perhaps another time. The baby ducks in the pond next to our house, my flowers that are already blooming. My new bike!

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  9. Nice pics - just catching up on my blog reading. Been a bit AWOL.
    Little things: being well, rather than needing antibiotics - looking forward to being better again... having a good family and being so blessed - that's a "little" big thing...
    Being able to help, I am glad that I can help others.
    Dawn

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  10. Things I love . . . how every night my sweet husband sets up our coffee, including our two mugs, so it's all ready for whoever gets up first. This morning it was me, and I smiled to see his thoughtfulness so on display.

    That we can hear the wind blowing through the trees this morning, what appears to be our first cool day so far on our month long visit to the San Francisco Bay. The weather has been stellar, so a cold day to snuggled up by the fire and read will be lovely.

    Skype. We Skyped our daughter last night, and it was almost like being there.

    Like a few others here, I refuse to dwell on my little negatives. I work instead to deal and move on. :-)

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