Life's Simple Pleasures

I thought it'd be interesting to share with each other some of the things and activities we enjoy that take us out of the stress zone, and maybe the over analytical mind. Let me know if I stretched out the page with pics, and I will try to fix them. I will start by sharing some of mine:

The tropics. Living on the border of Illinois and Iowa, I certainly can't walk outside my door and see a beautiful tropical sky and blue water. But I've been there before, and the peace is unexplainable.



Cats. Merely looking at them brings a smile to my face. Actually being in the presence of many animals makes me happy, and less anxious (minus monsters of course, like predators)



Sleep. Sleep is a little tricky to me. I don't get to the point of deep r.e.m. sleep often. But I enjoy it when I get there. I sleep with blinders on my eyes, by the way. lol



Rain storms. I like them.



Fish aquariums. I used to have a 50 gallon fish aquarium. I accidently broke it with a hammer, trying to fix something behind my wall.



I like cool forests, though live next to none.



Outer Space. Looking at the stars. The city lights block out much of the night sky. But I've always been a star gazer.... especially in my stoner dayz.



Speaking of stoner dayz. I don't care what people say about pot. I like pot. It's been illegal for about 70 years, and I don't like that. Though I don't smoke much these days, I do enjoy a puff every now and again when the occasion arises.



Boobies.



I recently started drinking coconut water, and man, is it delicious.



What are your simple pleasures in life? What helps you relax?

My current greatest simple pleasure is my two-month-old little girl's smile and giggle.
She has the longest eyelashes and everyone comments on them.

Congratulations, QSC. This is great news! How 'bout that, QSC is out there making little QSCs.

Flames, that was just about the best post on a board I have
ever looked through; and the boobs, awe man, now that/those
was/were spectacular. And the forest: that's where you would find
me under the best of circumstances.

Two month old baby girl; Qsc, that is very special. All the very
best.

My greatest pleasure is being in control of my own time , offcourse there are many more also

CONGRATULATIONS Quicksilvercrescendo

Life is a mystery sometimes and must always continue with everything happening at once it seems. My sister in law lost hers on the big lunar eclipse in december, guess it was too strong, girl and boy twins sacrificed within twenty four hours. It was real sad, but life must go on so maybe they will have children one of these days.

Alright now, hope y'all doing well!

Fish aquariums. I used to have a 50 gallon fish aquarium. I accidently broke it with a hammer, trying to fix something behind my wall.

thats really funny. id actually kinda like you to explain that one, were you hammering from the other room and the hammer went through the wall and through the fishtank? thats not what you said but i pictured that lol


I agree with kapis control of time. last sunday quit my job to have more of this.

but ill add cooking as a simple pleasure.

isnt a hassle at all and youre in control of what you eat.

Cookings one i need to get up to speed on, i can heat up a few things an make some simple dishes but nothing elaborate, it just requires a lot of time in prep that i aint got .
Control of ones own time in its relative fashion to integration with others is very important but then again , some people just need that boss figure to keep the school trip running

Highnoon, I don't think I even explained it correctly. I meant to say "behind my tank", not "wall". To explain it, I have to say that I used to have to prop a window up (using something, in this case a hammer, I know, I'm not smart) because it wouldn't stay up on its own.

Well, the tank was right in front of the window, and one time when I went to shut the window, I pulled the hammer out, and accidently struck the tank with it, shattering it into pieces. I'm still mad at myself to this day, for doing something so stupid. The only good thing is that I didn't have any fish or water in it at the time, because I was still setting everything up. I was going hardcore salt water/tropical fish, with plans to put in Sea Anemones and everything.

Isn't it amazing caring for such a joy Quicksilvercrescendo, congratulations and many blessings to you and your family!

Simple pleasures...there is so many!

A nice hot shower after three days or more of camping.
The way spring grass feels on my bare feet.
That long luxurious stretch first thing in the morning.
A clear blue sky over an uninterrupted expanse of calm sea that one can hardly see a separation.
An old, over-sized t-shirt.
A really deep belly laugh.
Imagining the smiles on the faces of my family.
Whole roasted garlic cloves with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of pink salt.
Tug of ropey toy war with my four legged friend.
The scent of sweet flowers carried on a breeze.
A hand picked ripe tomato warmed by the sun.
Talking/typing to you all here.


Seraphim- Hope you are well too. Am saddened to hear about your sister's loss. As you said life will continue and maybe some things do happen for a reason. Although I've been unable to think of one regarding such a circumstance.

Thank you flames. It was relaxing just thinking of those simple pleasures.

Ever tried those kale greens made into cheesey (not actual cheese) kale chips. Tremendously delicious as a snacky.

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of curly, green kale, washed, large stems removed, torn into bite size pieces

COATING:
1 cup cashews, (soaked 2 hours)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
juice of 1 lemon
2 t. agave (optional-I don't add, I like them more salty + savory)
1 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 t. himalayan pink crystal salt (use more or less to taste)
Preparation:

Put coating ingredients in Vitamix. Blend until smooth. Using your hands, massage coating onto kale pieces getting it inside of curls. Put on teflex sheets (don't worry about flattening them, they're better bunched up) and dehydrate at 105 overnight or until coating is dry. Slide onto mesh screens and dehydrate 12 hours, or until very crispy.

http://goneraw.com/

Thank you for the recipe suggestion, Blackbird. That sounds good.

Books. One of the few activities that always gives me some peace of mind. Ironic because I hated reading when I was in school. Would you agree, TG?

A simple pleasure I thought of today.

Fresh fruit, especially pineapple. Even when you've eaten so much that your mouth burns slightly from the acids. That burst of sweetness is almost orgasmic. Anyone here ever tried a cherimoya or Lychee fruit?
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/cherimoya.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychee

Must be on my mind because of the season. I have experienced an increase to light sensitivity and also a heightened desire and craving for more fruits. Don't know about the depression or social anxiety as that has seemed to be a consistent feeling most of my life.

It takes some self discipline to stick to powerful, high nutrient foods. Sometimes I really crave sugar late at night for some reason. I try to resist the urge.

Yes i concur with this, but i have noted that often , once that craving may arrive, if i can suddenly engage the body to do something active, not long afterwards , the craving would be gone i wonder why i even craved anything sweet at all , as my body did not require it, but my subconscious had incorrectly informed my conscious that it had, habitual conditioning , my complete responsibility off course , but its amazing how there are forces of lust and desire constantly knocking on the door for satiation, if not disciplined by conscious intent , then through conscious active experience, the discipline can be sublimated which can serve to silence the beasts cravings for a spell but its always ready to arouse again if given any encouragements through emotional stresses etc ........but sometimes, also, sweet is actually required and indulged in a healthy consumption in my world of understandings

Nutrients are so important and most people overlook their importance. It's no wonder why there are so many couch potatoes around. The brain requires a good deal of nutrients, and to think good healthy thoughts, it's important that the brain is properly nourished, not to mention moods.

I am becoming more and more conscious of this nowadays, even although Qsc and others have continually pronounced the importance of diet to the body and mind, i am now coming around to realize the wisdom in this and that i cant just keep eating shit and not feeling any lack.

I just replaced my old steamer with a new far superior steamer and have increased my veg base and am co-relating the reduction of these sweet cravings since ive done so

Finding new spices and how to use them....

Cardamom
http://www.home-remedies-guide.com/herbs/cardamom.htm

Asafoetida
http://www.home-remedies-guide.com/herbs/asafoetida.htm

Another simple pleasure is feeling the thunder reverberate in my chest during these awesome southern thunderstorms.