Pleasures Sweet and Tender

 

Photo by Siim Lukka on Unsplash

Thanksgiving

We walk on starry fields of white

And do not see the daisies;

For blessings common in our sight

We rarely offer praises.

We sigh for some supreme delight

To crown our lives with splendor,

And quite ignore our daily store

Of pleasures sweet and tender.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Life is rather boring at the moment. So many friends have commented recently: "Just plodding on." or "Same old, same old." or "Today's been much like yesterday." In the midst of this pandemic there may seem to be few high spots, few 'supreme delights'. It's human nature to take life for granted, or to be so bogged down in the ordinariness and boredom of daily, lock-down routine that we don't see the 'blessings common in our sight.' 

When the negatives seem all too apparent, how can we appreciate those often overlooked positives? One way is to cultivate gratitude. A regular expression of gratitude can have a huge impact on our happiness and psychological well-being. Click here to find out more.

Writing prompt:

• Pause for a moment and think about what you are grateful for right now, in this present moment. It might be something as small and insignificant as the warmth and comfort of a cup of tea, or the fact that the persistent pain in your knee isn't there today.
• For the next week, perhaps when you wake up, or just before you go to sleep, spend a few moments thinking about, then writing down, what you feel grateful for. What can you find in your 'daily store of pleasures sweet and tender'? Write down three things each day, no matter how big or small.
• At the end of the week, write about your experience of expressing gratitude. Was it easy or difficult? Were you surprised at what you wrote. How did it make you feel?