We construct the stories of our lives around the significant events that might seem, [at the time], to define us; birth,deaths first loves,relationships, marriages, jobs,moving house and so on. If you look back over the last few years of your life, something will undoubtedly emerge that constituted a fairly major event because it necessitated change.Even when such change is looked for and anticipated, it can bring with it a sense of loss. As we are constantly bound to move forward through the trajectory of our lives, the yearning to return sometimes to an earlier time is an understandable fantasy, but also just that, a fantasy. As adults we can envy the ability of the young child to exist in the moment, absorbed in play, free of the gnawing existential anxieties that can plague later life. The child’s ability to engage fully in small pleasures , [an ice cream, fallen leaves in Autumn], can transport them to a place of internal wonder. Can you remember when you last lost yourself in a small pleasure like that? And yet, I suggest, it is such small pleasures that might sustain us through the worst of times .A precious half hour snatched in a busy day to read a book or listen to music, to drink an espresso, read a newspaper. These moments, if treasured and looked out for, can offer some respite from the relentless onslaught of contemporary life. Small pleasures, after all, can stay the same when all else around you seems in a constant state of change.If you used to love to read a book, the chances are that you still might. Can’t think of a small and wonderful pleasure that is just yours? Then it might be worth really thinking about where your pleasure and desire is located. Sometimes we need to do things in relation to other people, but if we can locate what it is that we can enjoy and achieve on our own, then we are better equipped to get by when we find ourselves alone.Find your small pleasures and then fight for them.The rewards will be exponential.
In Praise of Small Pleasures
