There are certain delights that melt me a little inside. I (after being prompted by a friend) compiled a list of these simple pleasures. We call it a nectar list. I’d like to share my current draft with you. When I get lost in the deep dark, I look at this list. I also share this list with loved ones (and also apparently with you) so that when I’m too lost in the deep dark that I can’t see anything, including this list, someone else can give it a little glance and create a moment of goodness for me.
As I’ve come to know, goodness yields more goodness. And gratitude yields more things to be grateful for. Paying attention to these moments and wallowing in their sweetness fosters a soft appreciation and contentment in my soul.
- Coming home to a happy and eager dog
- Waking up to a clean house since I did the chores the night before
- When someone else makes dinner and it tastes gooood
- Eating honey straight out of the jar (preferably pants-less like the good lord–Winnie the Pooh–intended)
- Baking on a Saturday while drinking endless cups of tea
- Windows open on a fall morning while a candle burns on the kitchen table—the earthy scent wafting through the house
- The sun on my shoulders
- A (purring) cat on my chest
- Tea with milk and honey
- Freshly mopped floors
- A vase of fresh flowers
- Handmade door wreaths
- A sinkful of hot soapy water
- Warm cookies, fresh out of the oven
- Making frosting and licking the beaters
- Christmas lights in the living room
- Someone pumping the gas for me (especially in the cold)
- Small kitty chirps
- Soft rain in bed and nothing to do and nowhere to be
- Using candles for light when the power goes out
- The daze-y feeling after getting a massage
- A field of sunflowers (or better yet, the ones in my garden)
- Licking the bowl, even better when it’s shared
- A forest full of birch trees
- The first snowfall
- Warm sheets from the dryer
- Puppy kisses and their stinky breath
- The way the sun glitters through forest leaves
- The tingle on my tongue after drinking soda
I invite you to start a list of your own and see how your perspective shifts as you foster gratitude for the mundane and delight in the everyday.
This list is non-exhaustive. I’ll share one with you monthly because it brings me so much delight. Because it nectar to my soul.