The Simple, Innocent Pleasures in Life

One concept that Anthony has helped to enhance in my life is the necessity of enjoying and focusing on the simple, innocent pleasures of life. Our current world stresses that to really enjoy oneself, one needs to spend money on big thrills, quick rushes, expensive vacation spots, material items and constant over stimulation. 

Well, here are some fun alternatives!: 

• Reading good books together accompanied by cups of tea, hot chocolate, or espresso (or even better, ask your better half to read the book to you! I have enjoyed many hours listening to Anthony read Don Camillo, Cheaper by the Dozen, Lord of the Rings, and the Cul-du-sac comics)

"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." ~ C.S. Lewis

• Going for a midnight stroll (the air is so still and the atmosphere so peaceful!)

"I would rather walk with a friend in the dark, than alone in the light." ~ Helen Keller

• Stargazing (there are great iPod apps out there now for this!)

"Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

• Playing board games or cards (see our sidebar of games that we will periodically update!)

"One of the world's most tiresome questions is what object one would bring to a desert island, because people always answer "a deck of cards" or "Anna Karenina" when the obvious answer is "a well equipped boat and a crew to sail me off the island and back home where I can play all the card games and read all the Russian novels I want." ~ Lemony Snicket

• Bicycle riding (50 mile bike ride, here we come!)

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." ~ Albert Einstein

• Taking a picnic to the park

"We had a happy marriage because we were together all the time. We were friends as well as husband and wife. We just had a good time." ~ Julia Child

• Mixing up fun drinks (we have been meaning to make Sangria!)

"Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable." ~ G.K. Chesterton

• Baking or cooking together

"Horton, the kangaroo has sent Vlad!'

Vlad? I know two Vlads. One is a cute little bunny that brings me cookies. The other is bad Vlad. Which Vlad?'

Which one do you think?'

Bad Vlad?'

Good call."

~ Dr. Seuss

• Going hiking

"Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity..." ~ John Muir

• Watching a good musical (again, we're starting a list of good musicals in our sidebar on the right! Check it out!)

"Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort." ~ Jane Austen

• Saying the Rosary while taking a walk and holding hands

"The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God...and if you wish peace to reign in your homes, recite the family Rosary." ~ Pope Saint Pius X

• Sending fun and goofy text messages to each other throughout the day

"Children have one kind of silliness, as you know, and grown-ups have another kind." ~ C.S. Lewis

• Reading a good children's book

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." ~ C.S. Lewis

• Playing instruments (Anthony is talented on the ocarina! I on the other hand, must content myself with being a listener or humming along as I have no instrumental talents!)

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul." ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

• Dancing (Anthony and I have attempted the waltz a couple times through watching YouTube. We've decided actual classes are probably the more efficient approach!)

"To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love" ~ Jane Austen

• Thumb wrestling spontaneously (he always wins!)

"How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win." ~ G.K. Chesterton

• Admiring nature's majesty (splendorous sunsets, majestic mountains, flowering fields)

"The world will never starve for want of wonders, but for want of wonder." ~ G.K. Chesterton

• Going to a coffee shop (or more specifically, an espresso shop!!!)

"I have measured out my life with coffee spoons." ~ T.S. Elliot

• Sharing dreams for the future (This one doesn't cost a dime!)

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." ~ C.S. Lewis

• Making a visit to the Blessed Sacrament

"Keep close to the Catholic Church at all times, for the Church alone can give you true peace, since she alone possesses Jesus, the true Prince of Peace, in the Blessed Sacrament." ~ Padre Pio

• Emailing each other favorite writings, quotes, or articles about various and sundry subjects 

"Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously." ~ G.K. Chesterton

• Karate chopping each other (great way to expend extra energy! I'm sure Anthony expended a lot of energy as a wee lad in karate class!)

"The best fighter is never angry." ~ Lao Tzu

• Listening to old radio shows (haven't gotten to this one yet, but it's on a list of to dos!)

"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat." ~ Albert Einstein

• Arm wrestling spontaneously (again, he always wins!)

"Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing." ~ Vince Lombardi

• Attending Mass together

"It would be easier for the world to survive without the sun than to do so without the Holy Mass." ~ Padre Pio

• Doing anything that makes you both laugh a lot!

"Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly." ~ G.K. Chesterton

It's a blessing to encounter activities and pastimes that you can enjoy and share throughout the years!

Any other ideas for the simple, innocent pleasures of life? Please share!