Simple Joys

When I taught nursing in a community college, my days started early and seemed endless. There were so many responsibilities, besides the obvious one of guiding young adults to become caregivers, that even my at home hours were filled with faculty obligations. I was always reading or writing something work related and longed for days when they, the reading and writing, would be purely for pleasure. I yearned for mornings when I could linger over a cup of hot tea in my pajamas, while watching gulls circle my sky and swans swim in my lagoon, instead of rushing to get to a college campus or a healthcare facility.

When the time came for me to leave my faculty position and move into my next chapter, I left the lagoon behind for an island where I continue to savor the smell of salt air and the call of gulls and other water birds. l still start my days early because there is new work to do. It is creative work done on my schedule without the constraints of someone else’s timetable. It is the kind of work I craved but never had time for when I wore a lab coat over business attire sporting a name tag with credentials and affiliations.

Now, in my home studio I paint pictures to sell, write pieces for my online journal, and read extensively about all things related to my creative pursuits. I can start or stop as I please. I’ve traded a lab coat for an apron, a name tag for color splatters, and business attire for jeans and a t-shirt. My new endeavors do seem less like work and more like pleasure but they also require a certain discipline on my part. Commissions have agreements and time frames to meet; so does my personal goal: publish one written piece with a companion painting every month on my website.

Mornings are gentler and slower now. I use them to ease into my day. I can linger in my pajamas with my cup of tea (maybe two) and use those moments for contemplation. Every morning as I watch the steam waft over the top of my cup, feel the warmth of the cup on my palms, and taste the earthy, brown brew I am grateful for the life I’ve made and thankful that I am able to fully enjoy it. Now that I’ve gotten to this part of my life, I refuse to rush through it, choosing instead to show up on time savoring every day and all the simple joys embedded in living.