Thursday 18 February 2010

Letting Go and Giving Up

I keep up a continuous stream of messages with a very good friend entitled 'Simple Pleasures and General Happiness'. The idea is that, every day if possible, we update with something simple that has brought sunshine into our days. It is inspired by our mentor and love, Mme Amelie Poulain.

Today I need comfort. I knew it would be one of those days when I woke up this morning. And I knew it'd be a day of need when, after finishing a delicious and very large bowl of porridge, I wanted toast and chocolate and endless cups of tea, despite feeling a little over-full.

So, today's simple pleasure was more than just simple; it was (and still is) all the warmth and comfort I needed, with enough 'oof' to stimulate my dulled mind towards some positivity.

A chai latte! Made with half warm milk, half hot water. I only tried this for the first time about a year ago, but have been a fan ever since! If you like warm drinks and some Eastern spice, I highly recommend it - you can buy sachets from the supermarket.

So, onto the real topic for this post - Lent.

I've never given anything up for Lent. This year I wasn't intending to either; I have a good balance in my life, and I felt that in giving something up, I'd be disrupting that balance, and possibly doing more harm than good. I thought a bit harder about whether there was anything I wanted to change, that would present a challenge, and would have a positive outcome: chocolate or alcohol are often the obvious choices for people, but as I hardly eat any of the former, and enjoy the latter regularly but sensibly, I didn't feel this would have a positive result. However, I've been aware for a while of a need to spend less time checking Facebook. I do it as a pointless habit, a way to distract myself from essays, getting ready in the morning, my own life, etc. So, I'm in No Facebook Day 2, and it feels wonderful! I'm using this extra time to communicate properly with the people I care about - emails, phone calls, maybe letters. I also intend to update my blog more when I feel so inclined. 20 minutes a day extra is plenty to have a positive impact on your world and the people you love, I reckon!

2 comments:

  1. i love simple pleasures- that chai tea looks DELISH!

    i reckon it is sweets. xo

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  2. What a brilliant idea you share with your friend. A very positive habit to get into.
    The chai tea does look good. Maybe I'll have a look at those on the shelves next time I'm in the shops.
    Lisa x

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