67
votes
What are your favorite simple pleasures?
For me:
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Cutting through an ice block with a stream of running water
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Going outside and it's the perfect temperature, or it's just a bit warmer but a breeze brings you back down to where you want to be.
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The satisfaction of completing a project.
Ah yeah, the snowfall silence! Good one.
Sitting by the woodstove on a miserable day.
Watching the cats scamper about.
Walking through a forest.
Thank you, for posting this topic and reminding me that I should think about these things every now and then.
Oof, amazing feeling. Also the smell that comes in.
petrochorpetrichor right?Edit thanks ~ the Petro version is the smell after you fill up a car lol
Aww yiss
Petrichor.
We went to Florida for vacation, and I swam in the ocean for the first time in pretty heavy swell, and I still think about that feeling of being in the vastness. I wouldn't call it a "simple pleasure" because it bordered on agoraphobia, but it was amazing.
I'm jealous that that's how you feel about it. I think I'm more in the boat that u/first-must-burn is in. I remember looking at Jupiter through a telescope once and really grasping that it's an actual, physical object unbelievably far away from me, not just some recurring feature in "space things" (books, TV shows, etc.) that I've been consuming since childhood. I got a real pang of existential dread from that. I'm just this tiny, fragile thing the universe could annihilate without any real consequence.
Something tells me I might be higher in neuroticism than you!
When spring rolls around after a long winter, those first few pedals are amazing. There's nothing like it.
Absolutely
The first coffee in the morning combined with putting on an album
Cycling
Im starting to enjoy writing.
How did you manage that last one? Asking for a friend. ^^
hmmmmm that's a tough one haha. I will sit around for days thinking of stuff to write about and then not do it and finally give in and then just commit to writing whatever I can on the topic regardless of whether I think its good. Then as I'm clacking away on the keys or sloshing ink on a page it all just kinda starts to feel nice and I slowly get into it and I think that actually I am rather good at this writing stuff. I'm not but don't tell me that.
In fact I'm currently in that process right now. I'm nearing the just start writing part. I also think what is important is to make it a habit. Everyday just write something and keep it going until it's as normal as making your morning cup of whatever you drink.
You know that’s really nice to read actually. Thanks a lot for sharing. You remind me how much it helps to just talk to people who know what I’m going through when writing.
Can you specify how long you commit yourself to writing daily?
depends what im writing. If its a journal entry then maybe about 15min and if its longer piece then its anywhere between 30min to an hour. It really depends on how im feeling and what I have to say.
Tea that has hot the perfect level of heat, just shy of tolerable, and you can just feel it crawling down your esophagus.
Hitting a warm bed on a chilly night. Getting your blanket and pillow situation just right. Waking up and realizing you don't have to get out of bed. A really good stretch after a reallu restful sleep.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but I also enjoy a perfectly timed joint - like after a day of working hard outside, then enjoying a joint at sunset.
Any situation where I'm more or less impossible to interrupt. Shower, bathroom, everyone has gone in a road trip and there's no physical way for them to interrupt me earlier than the next hour.
As someone obsessed with coffee, it has to be opening a new bag of coffee. Whether it's more traditional beans that's natty/washed or newer coferments/thermal shock/carbonic maceration, any time I get to open a new bag and brew my morning coffee, I get excited.
Other things include dropping from sixth gear to fifth to pass someone on the highway or crawling into bed at night.
dropping from sixth gear to fifth to crawl into bed at night
I think you misread my comment. What I meant to say is open a bag of coffee, then drop to fifth, AND THEN crawl into bed. It would be absurd to crawl into bed before dropping to fifth. Don't even get me started on not opening a bag of coffee first
Honestly I think only a new bag of coffee would explain dropping from sixth into fifth prior to crawling into bed at night.
I just like opening the bags of beans and decanting them into my vac jars. What an aroma.
Sipping my morning coffee while playing MTG Arena.
My cat curling up on my lap and going rumble-purr. Similarly: every night when I go to bed she walks up on my side and makes paw-biscuits on me while purring for a few minutes before laying down to sleep on top of me. Adorable.
Portal-Isekai webfiction and audiobooks. (escapism junk food for the brain).
Being in my home office with my electronics lab - it's my happy place.
This one may be a bit more oddball: watching and chatting during one of Computer Booter's gaming console repair streams. It's a fun little portion of the electronics nerd community.
Comfy chair, book, lapful of purring cat.
Meet Dash, the NIST iridium-bar standard unit for "lapful".
AWWWWWHWHWHHAHHAHHHAHAHHHAH!
That was me 'Awwwww'ing and laughing at the same time. Mostly in my head since it is apparently difficult to do literally if you want to laugh hard, it kind of ends up as a cough.
That's excellent posture. You know what would make this an even better lapful image? If you turned this and a few other shots into Dash version of kitty cat dance
Being warm under a blanket when its cold.
Hyper specific
When your band mate does unexpectedly does something sick, it takes you a second to process but then you get hype. (basically what happens at 7:03 to the bassist when the pianist hits a borrowed chord (?))
Oh man, the energy between them all is amazing. Love that
when you get into a comfy position before the cat snuggles up
when the cat returns a long blink
opening a yoghurt and getting a clean lid. bonus points if theres an intact plane of yoghurt bridging the gap
trying a new food / flavour / ingredient haphazardly and it not ruining the meal
From today:
Remembered
I'm adding this to my list. I grew a sunflower with my son this year and our favorite part of each morning was watching the bees busy buzzing all over it.
Make a deep-cut joke to a public audience and seeing it land with the weirdo in the corner.
The end of winter since there's so much to look forward to over the next 6 months.
Like a fratboy, I have an indoor leather couch on my covered patio that's perfect for lying on. I'll play portable games, write (for work) and sometimes pass-out out there it's so comfortable. People walk by, but like a true frat, I don't care.
Flow state -- any flow state. When you get into a project and time passes in an instant. It's not always easy to come by.
Related: being removed from distractions and requests for my time.
Good friends and the shorthand communication that comes with knowing each other well.
As someone who was in a college fraternity, the indoor leather couch outdoors under a covered patio/porch is so spot on. Reading that brought back so many memories of hanging out with the guys sitting on those couches and chatting. One of the best memories from there was waking up in the middle of the night during summer and not being able to sleep. I finally got up and took my blanket outside to sit on the couch. One of the other guys who was living in over the summer came out a few minutes later and handed me a beer without saying a word. We ended up sitting there drinking while a storm blew in. Finished our beers and went back to bed.
Thanks for sparking that memory.
Wow, that's more than I was hoping for with my comment but I'm happy to be here for it. Somehow, the leather really helps to shield it (though I'd be happy to not know whether it's home to critters).
Love the story. I was never part of a fraternity, but it sounds like you did it right. There's something amazing about living in a house full of people your age in college. So long as you can all agree on how to care for common areas, having a motley crew of people your own age living together is such an amazing learning and bonding experience.
I make a habit of encouraging young adults in my network (I work at a university) to seek out arrangements like this. For this generation especially, having convenient friends, confidants and fellow travellers is worth its weight in gold when it comes to combatting anxiety, loneliness and all the rest.
I didn't plan to join one going into college, but I had one of my best friends growing up rushing and other guys I knew from high school had joined that fraternity, so I thought I'd check it out and try pledging. I wasn't super active as a pledge or during my first year due to a bad relationship I was in with my ex-girlfriend, but whenever I was there the guys were welcoming and supportive. Joining ended up being a fantastic experience, I made lifelong friends, learned a ton about myself, how I approach things, areas I needed to improve, and had a very active social life all while being a home body. When you live in a mansion with 20-40 other guys and the other 20-30 members come over with their friends to hang out or have parties, you don't need to go out to the bars or random houses to see your friends.
Also, the part of common space care is very spot on! It always amazed me seeing the house go from trashed on a Friday night, to clean by noon on Saturday, trashed again Saturday night to squeaky clean again by noon on Sunday. We were also known for annually filling our basement with sand for an Egyptian themed house dance + follow-up beach party, and then removing all the sand from the basement by the following weekend. Amazing what ~30-50 college aged guys can get done in short order.
I'd recommend any young adult to check it out, or at least approach it with an open mind. The culture of different chapters on a campus can vary a ton, and things can change as new guys run the fraternity. I pushed for and implemented sweeping changes while I was in leadership to how we did things, and it was interesting hearing the guys who were a couple of years younger telling the pledges "this is how we've done things" even though those things were what I'd implemented a few years prior.
I had a group of high school friends who attended the same college, and I know that if I hadn't joined my fraternity, I would have mainly hung out with them and probably only made a few extra friends during my time on campus. They're awesome guys, but the support I received from my brothers was invaluable. We would support each other through things both big and small from mental health struggles, death of family members, or addictions to which professors to avoid, help with homework and studying, advice at the gym, or holding mock interviews and resume reviews.
Even after being out of college for nearly a decade, I look at the time I spent there as very valuable and, like you, I encourage anyone to look in to it. I'm still passionate about the organization, and if I hadn't gotten married right as I graduated, I was slotted to work for our international body for a few years after graduating and/or continuing on in the international governing body and running my local alumni board. I try not to talk about it often in person since my wife lived through most of my time in the fraternity and supported me during it when I was putting too much time into the chapter and not in our relationship, but I'm always happy to talk about the positives of Greek life, while also acknowledging that there are problems present in some chapters and that, like other huge groups [there are hundreds of thousands of active members in Greek life], we have our share of bad apples and room for things to grow.
Wow, sand in the basement on a Saturday and gone by Sunday. That's incredible and such an awesome testament to the college experience.
Mine with co-ed and there were six of us just renting a place near the university. Everybody brought a friend home and you had a party, and going to other social events, we travelled in a pack.
Amazing times at an amazing house until some years later, the residents of the house were all stabbed to death in a freak accident. I didn't see that one coming.
LOL
I know its not appropriate, but this has me laughing for much longer than I'd like to admit, great presentation!
If you ever want to do stand-up comedy and I'm in the crowd you should use this as your build-up:ed ending bit!
Lol, I figured that dropping it hot would be cliff jump but it actually happened. There was a house party at the end of class and one guy who was there had a schizophrenic episode. Super tragic.
Hearing a song I love on the radio that I haven't heard in years.
When I finally get into "the zone" when playing a game and everything else in life just melts away to the background.
Reading a really good book before going to bed and being excited to continue it again the next evening.
Are you actually aware of when you're getting into the zone? I don't think I did in the past, and as I get older I just start to feel weird and uncomfortable after I notice I've been in the zone (mostly because of soreness from staying still too long).
It's always impossible IMO to notice you're in flow and continue to be in flow. The pleasure is in noticing everything is going perfectly without coming out of that feeling. Words fail me.
For me I do notice the feeling but you're right in that if I actually start thinking about it then it will end pretty fast.
Yes, it doesn't often last very long but everything in the game just seems to click as I get into a rhythm and there's a slight sense of euphoria from all the stress of life fading back.
As that wiki article mentions I can see how people might confuse it with hyperfocus which can be a lot more uncomfortable.
Definitely happening upon an old beloved song yes! Hello again, young Chocobean
When my cat comes and cuddle with me in bed. I like feeling her fur and her weight against me. It's like a tiny weighted blanket. I also like feeling her breathe? As the chest/body goes up and down while she's breathing.
I basically focus on all that while we cuddle and it helps keep bad thoughts away.
The color of the leaves this time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere): they turn to brilliant shades of red, yellow, and orange that eventually looks like the embers of the coals of a long-burning fire before finally falling off and painting the ground in its colors.
No matter what kind of day I've had, seeing the total joy in my dog when I come home to her after work.
Pack it up boys. We have a winner. 😁
Playing 90s dance music and dancing wild with my daughter.
The Summer is Maaagic! Yes it's Maaaagic! Oh oh ohhh!
We like to party
We like
We like to party
That first hit of a fizzy drink after eating salty food.
Nachos.
Playing card games on the back porch with my daughter and losing track of the time.
When I find the perfect architecture/design for my code.
Cycling to and from work. It's a nice day to start and end my day.
I love this thread, a few more:
Walking through a quiet forest
A cozy fire - reading by or just watching the flames while drinking tea or hot chocolate
Listening to it rain and thunder (combine this with a cozy fire or rain with a forest is even better)
On a sunny days, floating downstream, eyes closed facing the warm sun as the waves gently splash against the hull of my Kayak.
Immersing myself in video game worlds...
Just running around for the sake of running in video games with parkour physics.
Wandering around in well made game worlds, ignoring the game (quests, awards, chat, etc...)
Flying in games (example: I'd just fly in bird form as a druid in WOW)
Oooh walking through forests is so nice. Like bathing in green, or more colours if it's autumn/white if it snowed.
I learned a new Japanese word recently: 木漏れ日 (komorebi)
It's one of my favourite things on this planet. Yourself, @SteeeveTheSteve , @fnulare and myself might enjoy a stroll barefoot on mossy forest floor, sitting down in a forest clearing dancing with komorebi
(Edited for formatting)
"My" spot in the world, a small spot by the lake where I meditate, has excellent foliage for this :)
[Edit:] misplaced a ,
I'm in a severely anhedonic period, so this is a really good reminder that there is joy in the world, thanks OP! <3
There are however still 3 simple things that I can notice that I enjoy:
Being in dense cities or large libraries. It's oddly very similar feelings.
Sneaking an inside joke for one person into group conversations.
My old patchwork jacket. Been on a lot of adventurs with it.
Meeting interesting people.
Trains. They go choo.
I was recently considering taking a long train trip! Sadly it’s too expensive to do. Not for the cost of the train itself (which is expensive on its own), but because it would raise the cost of all the interim travel on the trip to not take the car.
Sitting in silence near my beloved.
Taking a warm shower in very cold weather. unfortunately, where I live the weather isn't that cold so it's very rare for me to experience
I once lived in an old house that had a window in the shower. I used to love taking a hot shower on a cold day and cracking that window to let in some of the cold/smells/sounds. I wish every house had a shower window. :)
It’s starting to get cold where I live finally. Thanks for reminding me about this!
It does get that cold where I live, and the unexpected early snowstorm this week with temperatures down to -10°C really got me into heat-seeking mode...
That first hit of hot shower melted me like a sugar cube.
Wrapping my {achy, old} hands around the big, warm ceramic mug of coffee.
Turning on the heated mattress pad so the bed would be toasty when I climbed in (complete with the two cats piled on my toes because they're not pleased with the snow either).
Going out in three layers of sweaters, thermal pants, and a down parka to play in the first snow of the winter.
@PierogInTheButt's smile
You're sweet
I don't think pickles are supposed to be sweet, love
A hot beverage that's exactly the right temperature
Sleepy cuddles in bed (animal, person, pillow, all good)
A flaky buttery croissant you can hear while you bite into it
Kicking off shoes to feel soft cool grass on hot bare feet that have been walking a while
A view of natural beauty, bonus if there is a sunset
When the wind catches the trees in autumn and the leaves flutter down in a golden rain
Sticking your nose into the neck of a happy purring cat
Sitting by the "campfire" in the back yard in the evening, listening to some good music and sipping a cold beer. It's a nice way to unwind and leave the stress and pressure of life behind, even if only for a few hours.
Every spring the fireflies return. Some years the woods behind the yard are filled with thousands of them, twinkling like holiday lights. It's mesmerizing to just sit and watch them.
The first pale green tips of bulbs poking through the soil in early spring.
The indescribable perfume in the early summer air when everything is blooming at once.
Sitting in a kayak on a still lake at sunrise with the last morning fog wisping over the water.
The painful delight when all 15 pounds of Dash the Massively Friendly Cat Himself climbs up and drapes over my shoulders to inspect whatever I'm doing, complete with happy drooling.
The wee thrill when Lilly the Shy Rescue Cat Herself musters the fragile courage to bestow head boops and demand skritches.
The synaesthetic joy of the first sip of a good wine, like a jazz riff you can't forget.
Reading a research paper with a truly elegant study design, where you know the p-value is meaningful and it's going to be replicable. [Not exactly a "simple" pleasure, but if you've been in the game, you know what I mean.]
Golden hour sunsets
The intoxicating smell of jasmine pearl tea
Smell of a warm pine forest
Seeing your partner smile
that feeling when a song is on the tip of your tongue but you can't quite place it... then it clicks.
For a great example, check the tune of the first part of Holybrune's vocals here -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUb5GqjYCts -- if you're like me, you're hearing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STugQ0X1NoI
I was thinking on that for days... and when it clicked, I was over the moon.
Not the healthiest but to me, one of life’s pleasures is a can of energy drink I like that is almost freezing cold. Gives me momentary happiness.