Chapter seven of Changing with Aging might be my favorite: Celebrate small pleasures: Everyday joys can last a lifetime. I’ll give you a short list of mine. I’d love to hear about a few of your small pleasures too.
I put things on the walls of my home and office that make me smile. For example, I have a blue dog with floppy ears sticking his head out a car window. He barks at me every morning. Downstairs, two huge elephants are embraced in a loving trunk hug. And on and on from wall to wall.
Sherry and I give objects names and often greet them. My favorite chair is Otto. We have a tiny pond named after Sherry’s grandma: Wiggins Pond. The Singing Rock is up the mountainside, where I belt out Elvis Presley tunes.
Just before the Nevada evening sky turns red, I love to rub the ears of a sleepy dog.
The deal is, as we age, we can create our own simple pleasures that shine brighter than any stress or pain of the day.