This afternoon I packed a light lunch (tomato soup w/parm & naan) and strolled down to my local park, which happens to be right next to the pacific.
It’s a warm, sunny day, and the sky is clear and seemingly blue. I am wearing my big floppy pink shelter-my-poorly-sighted-eye-from-the-sun hat, multi-colored pants, and a smoky gray tunic.
My backpack is filled to the brim with…
- 4 library books
- 1 notepad – just in case I need to jot down a thought or two
- 1 navy blue travel pillow
- 1 favorite green blanket – it’s a total oxymoron, warm & lightweight
- 1 fuzzy blue hoodie – which belonged to a guy I dated nearly 20 years ago, it’s in excellent condition BTW
- 1 pair of black knitted booties with silver sparkles – because the park is by the beach and it gets pretty breezy in these parts
- 1 snack bag of trail mix – for my post lunch healthy almost dessert
- 1 personal pack of salted manzanilla pitted olives – for my post healthy almost dessert savory snack
- 1 bottle of hand sanitizer
- 1 soup spoon
- 1 cloth napkin – because cloth napkins are both save-the-earth-green and classy.
- 1 cellular device
- 1 pair of apple issue earbuds
I am also carrying my easy-to-fold blanket with the handy shoulder strap so that I will be able to lounge on the luscious green grass.
It’s a perfect Southern California afternoon. And I am acutely aware of the fact that I have spent way to little time outside in the last few months. In fact, just moments ago, I texted one of my girlfriends to say, “my only regret is that I haven’t spent more time enjoying myself in the past 20 years.”
But today, I have no regrets, not a single one.
I am pretty sure there is a woman with pink hair changing her clothes in the bushes over there. She’s not doing a very good job of hiding if that’s the goal.
A bit further down there is a guy playing with his dog. He’s speaking to the dog in an annoyingly whiny voice. And he keeps repeating “you wanna go home? You wanna go home?” Because the dog will not comply with his go fetch request. Maybe the dog is just as sick of his whiny voice as I am.
Having just finished my lunch, which was delish by the way, I decide to crack open a book. But not before I put on a fantastic Sade house mix that my sisterfriend shared with me yesterday. I am reading, Like the First Time by Francis Ray. It’s the selection of the month in my book club. I’m only four pages in, but so far so good. The characters are relatable and it’s an easy read.
You might be wondering why I packed four books in the first place? Because I am a Libra and notoriously indecisive, but only with books & food, and when I am trying to be accommodating to others. But I am fiercely decisive in matters of the heart, with boundaries, and pretty much anything that I am telling someone else to do.
Yet and still, I haven’t had enough days like this. For the past three years I have been preaching about pleasure and delivering sermons on life and the pursuit of deliciousness. But I have also been trying to find the optimal balance of work and play. So this is me choosing to unplug so that I can plug in. Because I want to recognize pleasure in the mundane. I want to extract the delicious out of bland. I want to fill up on the simple things and love the nuances of ease.
???? Note to self: have more days like this.