By Dr. Bruce Smith ——Bio and Archives--October 5, 2023
HeartlandLifestyles | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
Our small moment of luxury doesn’t have to be remarkable and it doesn’t have to last long. Like power napping, even a short pause will help. Ten minutes has transformed my day many times.
When we can’t actually stop or sit down, even a slight breeze helps. Maybe a cloud slipped in front of the hot sun for a little spell. If we’re sweaty and in the middle of a job, take the time to notice and be grateful.
With a task that can be paused for longer, a cup of favorite tea or a spoon of ice cream may afford the time to take stock of the rest of the day. Slow down for a bit in the middle of a rush to take comfort in what we have accomplished so far today.
Perhaps you witness an unexpected kindness, an unexpected display of virtue, or an unexpected utterance of wisdom. As these things become rarer, celebrate them all the more for their relative scarcity.
A former employer often said on a steamy South Carolina afternoon that we should always save something for tomorrow. The decision to stop for the day and plan for the next warrants a small moment of luxury.
There are many justifications and inspirations for that energizing break during the day. Consider some of the following and take full advantage when they come your way.
Perhaps it will be . . .
. . . a moment to be satisfied with our situation.
. . . a moment to savor the change of season, the first golden or scarlet leaf, and the joy they bring.
. . . a moment to be grateful for those who came before us and who helped make us what we are.
. . . the first day in the fall when confidence arrives that preparation for winter will be enough and on time.
. . . the bittersweet feeling when we hear the corn rustling in their shucks and see the soybeans standing gray and mute before the combine arrives.
. . . when the onions are arrayed, dirty and disoriented, on their newspapers to dry.
. . . seeing the winter squash curing in the waning sun that will give us stews and roasted vegetables in January.
. . . When the spinach has sprouted that, with luck, will give us the first garden crop in the spring.
Support Canada Free Press
. . . taking just one chocolate out of the box, and knowing what to expect when we bite into it.
. . . when the first frost is still a week away so that we may enjoy the late summer flowers just a bit more.
. . . the arrival of the snowbirds as the fall colors fade.
. . . portents of a good year, a snowy winter, and cozy fires in the stove.
. . . the golden flashes of the beeches, aspens, and birches freeing their leaves to flutter in the afternoon sun.
. . . when we can say we made it to another Christmas.
. . . when we can remember that no matter what the future may hold, we may give thanks in this small moment of luxury to have come this far.
Recognizing this small moment of luxury may well energize us for the rest of the day. It may give us something constructive to contemplate as we journey toward our night time rest. The world will go on even if we take a few minutes to give thanks for our lot and for the gift of another day. During that pause we can look philosophically at the slings and arrows we endured today from our adversaries and count our victories, however small.
View Comments
Dr. Bruce Smith (Inkwell, Hearth and Plow) is a retired professor of history and a lifelong observer of politics and world events. He holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. In addition to writing, he works as a caretaker and handyman. His non-fiction book The War Comes to Plum Street, about daily life in the 1930s and during World War II, may be ordered from Indiana University Press.