Delighting in Life

Delighting in Life

Sometimes it’s difficult to give ourselves permission to take delight in life.

Taking delight ... I love the concept.

Why?

Because it implies that we can consciously choose and grab hold of experiences of delight. Reach out, draw them in, experience them to the fullest, and savor them with joy.

The key is taking them ...

So often in the busyness of our days, moments of potential delight can whiz right by us (or perhaps it is we who bypass them). We’re hurrying, unfocused, so the bird song, the aroma of lilacs in the air, the morning dew glistening on the grass go unnoticed.

Our “taking” in this sense is slowing down enough to notice, to breathe and absorb the natural delight that is ever around us.

Taking delight can also occur when we intentionally set it up and give ourselves over to the experience.

My daughter and I engaged in a full day of delighting in life this past weekend. I went to visit her at her college town. We set the intention to enjoy every moment together and sniff out delight wherever we could find it.

Eating, shopping, walking, more eating. There seemed to be a lot eating! Though we are both pretty health conscious so we did try to choose wisely: Organic Mexican one night, tofu rice bowl for lunch, Whole Foods salad for dinner. (Oops! Here she is munching on a burger...)

And then there were the cupcakes. As we laid out our plans for the day she informed me that there was a cupcake store we should visit. An obvious source of delight, yes?

Our experience there was decadent, delicious, delectable—plenty of "D" words came to mind as we enjoyed our cupcakes. Really savored them. 

Without guilt or negative self-talk or after-consumption angst.

I loved every bite of that cupcake. She did too.

And because we did so without all of the typical feminine thoughts of “I shouldn’t” or “I shouldn’t have,” our experience was memorable. And fun. Oh so much fun!

When was the last time you took absolute delight in life and savored every morsel?

If it’s been awhile, or nothing comes to recent memory, open up your Yellow Pages (or do a Google search) to see if there’s a cupcake store near you.

You have our permission to enjoy every bite. 

 "New day -

Ten thousand reasons to rejoice."

~Ingrid Goff-Maidoff

Until I decide I won't, I am penning, these blog posts in support of my ongoing sacred journey course,“Creating a Life of Contentment,"  which began Sept. 15. For one entire year, we'll be traveling together as intimate companions: to relax, let go and rest into Love; to discover the bliss of our own life.

Delight-full!

 Loving ourselves and life from where we are 

Until I decide they won't, these blog posts are being penned in support of my ongoing sacred journey course,“Creating a Life of Contentment,"  which began Sept. 15. For one entire year, we'll be traveling together as intimate companions: to relax, let go and rest into Love; to discover the bliss of our own life. I hope you will join me! You can learn more about the program here. 


Delight-Full


I am a collector of quotes from way back.

Even in high school, I gathered them up and wrote them into a sweet little book just like this one. (In fact, this is the one, created by Michigan artist, Gwen Frostic.)

I found it in a dusty old box a few years ago. Boy, did it take me back in time.

I discovered that most of the quotes were on love. Makes sense, seeing I was a love-smitten teen at the time.

Today, I am drawn to quotes which express ease, serenity or joy. Or those that stir my heart if it has closed off a bit. Or passages that remind me of how important it is to "stay awake," to be fully present to this amazing gift of life as a human being on a gorgeous planet.

And on some days, I prefer those that simply make me smile.

Here are few of my favorites, each sourced in Contentment with life—with ourselves as we are.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic.
~ Rosalind Russell


Nature does not demand that we be perfect. It requires only that we grow.
~ Joshua Loch Liehman



Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look at the stars.
~ Henry VanDyke


The universe is so wonderfully constructed that all paths lead home.
~ Robert Gerzon



Self-love is the only weight loss aid that really works in the long run.

~Jenny Craig

Just remember a nice hot bath can solve almost any problem.

~ Author unknown

If we'd only stop trying to be happy, we'd have a pretty good time.

~Edith Wharton


Just a few simple thoughts but they make a world of sense.

We tend to make life so complicated, don't we?

Perhaps one of these quotes will touch your heart today and point you back home ... to yourself ... and to life as it can be.

Simply delight-full.

Countdown to Contentment ~ Day 21

Loving ourselves and life from where we are 

I’m counting down to contentment — to the starting date of my new sacred journey course,“Creating a Life of Contentment,"  which begins Sept. 15. For one entire year we will travel together as intimate companions: to relax, let go and rest into Love; to discover the bliss of our own life. You can learn all about it here. 

Just Sit

Do you recall the television commercial for Energizer batteries, the one with the bunny that just keeps going and going?

I think women are very much like that. We move through our days with pure momentum, force of will. So much to do! So many roles to play! Until, of course, our inner energizer bunny keels over, completely worn out.

Over the course of the years, I’ve had women say to me, “I don’t dare sit down because I'm afraid I won’t be able to get back up.” This is not good news, friends. If we truly believe we can’t stop, or can’t give ourselves permission to stop, we are in deep trouble when it comes to our health and the quality of our lives.

What if we gave ourselves permission to stop during the course of our days to simply sit? Just sit.

I often do this and my health is better because of it. I have favorite sitting times spaced throughout the day. And the reason I do this is because I’ve received delightful surprises when I sit at certain times.

I get to see—really see.

If we are moving very fast, always in forward motion like the Energizer bunny, we miss many things. Eyes focused straight ahead we overlook what’s dazzling. When we stop, sit, and look around, enchantment can be ours.

Case in point. If I sit down in the early morning between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., I am sure to witness a bald eagle “fly by.” Our house is situated on an actual "runway" for these magnificent creatures. They swoop over our house on the way to the shoreline to hunt for breakfast. Such a sight to behold!

And now because it is early Fall, great blue herons are on the path too. If I sit, I will see them. If I don’t, I miss out.

Right now we have what I'm sure is the largest butterfly bush on the planet in full bloom in our backyard. (It’s 8-feet tall, no exaggeration.) If I take breaks during the day—sit for even a few minutes—I get to watch hummingbird visitors.

These tiny iridescent creatures are absolutely delightful to witness. In the last few days I’ve learned that they preen themselves with those long beaks of theirs; they feed voraciously, then rest on slender lower branches in the shade; they are territorial and will chase another hummingbird away, even if there are plenty of blossoms to drink from.

True contentment can be found when we sit. Consider “sitting” one of your new contentment practices and be prepared for delight to take up residence in your heart; to fall back into awe with life again.

Remember, you don’t have to sit too long—but the longer you do, the more you will see.

And as I have typed these last lines, a small bald eagle has just flown by my window. No kidding. Now I call that, “holy synchronicity.”

∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ 

I meant to do my work today, but a brown bird sang in the apple tree, and a butterfly flitted across the field, and all the leaves were calling me.

~Richard LeGallienne  


Register for the "Creating a Life of Contentment" course this weekend and receive a free book of your choice from me. I love giving gifts away! Get yours here.