Life's Simple Pleasures
One of the ways that I'm fortunate is that I enjoy simple pleasures the most. I have no need for elaborate, constant, and expensive variety to be satisfied. It's not that I don't enjoy an occasional adventure—I do. It's just that I am very happy to have a nice time in my own home, surrounded by the things I've already accumulated that bring me pleasure. It was only as a teenager that I felt that restless call to get out and get away from home to experience something besides the same old, same old.
Granted, our at-home entertainment choices today are much more varied than they were in the 70s and 80s when I was coming of age. I don't have to spend an hour at the Record Bar to find new music. I enjoyed it then, but I also enjoy the way we discover music today. I've been to a few really enjoyable concerts and seen some iconic (to me) artists like Paul Simon and James Taylor, but the thought of spending several days' pay along with the travel time, parking aggravation, elevated concession prices, and the possibility of rude drunk people eliminates that kind of live music from my list of fun things to do. I'll listen in a coffee shop or street fair or the like, but I'm not going to help you fill up a stadium to hear Bruce Springsteen, no matter how much or how long I have loved him.
I don't care if I never eat in another chain restaurant again. You can tell by looking at me that I enjoy a good meal, but if I can't get that at a locally owned eatery, then I'll just eat at home, thank you. I also don't need a $50 entree to make me feel like I've had a treat. Give me a styrofoam tray of authentic tacos from a trailer in a convenience store parking lot selling authentic Mexican street food, and I will be happy.
I can occasionally be enticed to see an epic movie at the theater. Dune II was the last one. I enjoy the modern conveniences at today's theaters with the comfortable seats and food delivered right to where I am sitting, but I also enjoy the limitless variety on my own TV set where I can recline on the bed and snuggle with Wonder Woman while watching stuff just slightly older than what I would pay lots of money to watch in the company of strangers miles away from my house.
My house is generally quiet. We only turn on the TV when we plan to watch something. I have comfortable furniture and decent climate control even during the grips of a hot Southern summer. Our kitchen is generally well-stocked with foods I enjoy. My Internet service is fast and reliable. I don't have the kind of neighbors who knock on the door. My house is my refuge and sanctuary. I enjoy being here and I look forward to returning when I have been away. I left it once to go on an epic five-month walk across 14 American states, and I am glad to have had that experience, but it's not the type of thing I constantly crave.
I do enjoy a nice weekend getaway with Wonder Woman with some frequency, but ours are not wild adventures. If we aren't visiting family, then we've most often rented a small cabin or a decent hotel in some mountain town with pretty vistas, interesting eateries, and places for her to indulge her trail running habits. She runs early, and then we spend the day exploring, stopping for coffee, maybe buying some souvenir pottery, or taking pictures. I enjoy talking to local people if the chance arises.
I don't look down on people who have a go-go-go lifestyle, who love crowds and busy venues. It's just not for me. Let me sit on the porch of an old house looking at the outline of the Blue Ridge Mountains on a cool fall afternoon like I'll be doing next week, and I will be in my own version of heaven.
Enjoyed it? Please upvote 👇