Ladylikeness 2: the not-so-secret secret for happiness

“On hard days, ladies seek simple delights.”

Can my simple delight be a spa day?

This lesson owned me this week. It was a week of paying taxes, ruining my nicest blouse with the iron, getting locked in my garage with perishable items (long, ridiculous story), family troubles that never go away, and seasonal allergies I never have except now I do.

It was a week begging me to succumb to the dreary weariness of life’s mundane struggles. It was a week I chanted this lesson in my head. A lot.

Simple delights do not come wrapped in big bows or with big price tags. They are life’s hidden treasures available to all at any time. They’re free. Ample. Ripe. And ready to be discovered at every minute of every day in nearly any circumstance and all environments, if we’re willing to look.

Ladies look.

They know simple delights are necessary to live a happy life. They are the soft breeze caressing the neck. The untroubled laughter of an innocent child. The ice tinkling in the lemonade glass. The smell of fresh laundry ready to fold. The quiet moment in an ear-splitting day.

Finding and appreciating simple delights, even in the midst of an imperfect life and unending trials, is a choice ladies make every day. Sometimes every hour.

HOW TO PUT THIS TRUTH INTO ACTION:

In the midst of all your frustration or worry or even anger, stop, look around, and hunt for a simple delight as if your next breath depended on it.

You may find it in the colors of a painting inside the doctor’s waiting room. The song on the radio while stuck in traffic. The smoothness of your favorite pen while trapped in a business meeting. The hopeful anticipation for the end of the day when you kick your shoes off. The appreciation for having a safe home, even while your kids/spouse are driving you crazy inside of it.

Seek the simple.

If we can train our minds to do this during the hard days, we’ll create a habit that will continue on the good days, too, which will increase the joy in our already joyful moments. So, basically, it’s a win-win.

In case this helps with ideas, here are a couple of simple delights I snagged this week:

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At last, color

I snapped this during a brief walk in my neck of the woods. Spring has pushed back winter once again and, to celebrate, God said, ‘Let there be purple.’

Twinkle, Twinkle

While running an errand for my Sunday school class, I saw this display of line after line of beads preening for the light, glittery in all their colors and shapes. Instead of buying one, I took the time to simply enjoy them ALL.

Spring Rains

While writing this lesson, the sky turned blue, the thunder rolled, and warm rain splattered the windows, all playing a delightful melody. Now I want a nap.