Life’s Simple Pleasures: 4 Things We All Need
During a group presentation my students gave the other morning, it occurred to me that life has so many simple pleasures to offer. Whether it’s watching my students’ hard work pay off, creating a class activity that I hope might motivate others, or appreciating the flexibility and satisfaction that my lifestyle provides, I have so many simple things in life that put a smile on my face consistently.
As a result of being inspired by these international students and the message they had to share, I spent my office hours that day deciding what the most crucial of life’s small pleasures are, and naturally decided to share them with you all.
Essentially, these are the 4 things that make my life complete, and they’re probably more universal than I realize:
- Rest
We all need to take a break from hard work; preferably a longer break than we typically give ourselves.
I’m starting to realize that, although I’ve accomplished some of my biggest goals during summer breaks from school, it might be a better idea to use some of that time to actually recharge and allow myself to be lazy. Give yourself permission to fully experience the contrast between busy and relaxed. It just means you’ll be even more ready to conquer your next creative challenge.
- Small successes
I once heard someone say, “You don’t want to accomplish every one of your life’s goals today; life is no fun without desires. Instead, enjoy the small successes each day.”
I’ve always been one to savor the small moments, which tends to make every day feel like a big deal. I may not have screaming fans, but I have the occasional student who tells me I inspired them. I may not be a sought-after speaker around the world, but I’ve been asked to do the occasional paid speaking gig and to be a guest host on podcasts. My husband may not have bought me a diamond bracelet (not that I’m into that anyway), but he did jot a sweet note to me before he left for work.
In the grand scheme of things, it all feels about the same. I’d much rather enjoy all the small things- and the occasional large success is okay, too.
- Variety
This small pleasure is one that never occurred to me until today. I think I’d had so much variety in my life from age 15 on, that I’d forgotten how fun and important it is to continually incorporate changes when life becomes more routine in those late 20-something years. Growing up you have different boyfriends, various hobbies, then a new dorm room from year to year, an endless list of college classes to potentially take, and eventually you try on different jobs and search for some semblance of stability.
Then all of a sudden the changes are less frequent. Suddenly life is just one big routine that’s a little too structured, and you wonder when it happened.
That’s one reason why I’ve always liked being a part-time teacher. Each semester you have a different schedule to adjust to, a different commute, a new textbook to use, and new faces in your classroom. It’s part of the reason I don’t think I could ever settle into a full-time position; the variety makes me feel alive and inspired.
- Gratitude
I had to end with gratitude; this is the Happy Professor blog, after all. As I mentioned above, my life has a comfortable amount of variety in it, but I still notice myself slipping into ruts now and then. My routine can feel too routine, teaching the same class day after day can get monotonous, meeting my sister for our Monday kickboxing class feels like a chore, and I stop noticing that my husband did the dishes again.
Then I step back and take it all in. I’m incredibly lucky. The fact that I have the luxury of falling into a temporary rut is something to be grateful for.
For now, those are the 4 simple pleasures my life has to offer, and when I step back to take a good look, I appreciate every single one of them.