I picked up Anne Lamott’s new book called Imperfect Birds recently. A few pages into it, this line jumped out at me: Life on earth is a head-scratcher for anyone who’s paying attention.
There are variations to this sentiment. You may have seen bumper stickers that say:
If you’re not confused, you’re not paying attention.
If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention, a statement made by American labor leader John Sweeney.
If you’re undecided, you’re not paying attention, said about the last U.S. presidential election by bloggers Margaret and Helen, progressive women who have been friends for sixty years.
As a sympathetic person, I can relate to being confused or outraged when I pay attention to what goes on around me. Can you relate, too?
The debilitating drama, damning data, and divisive debate of our days have their odd allure. The facts and interpretations thereof can be riveting. The corresponding emotions are all-encompassing. The actions and reactions from all types are a rich source of entertainment, intrigue and fodder for a fiction novel.
But while I habitually indulge (don’t you?), I do also pay attention to happier things. Things that pick me up and bring a smile to my face.
And so, below, I share with you some serious, some super-silly, and some unedited/rejected ideas, dorky alliteration and all, that make me happy. I call them The Daily Dose of Delightful Deeds, Designs, Details and Dreams. My hope is that they will at least make you smile.
Enjoy!
MONDAYS
- Make mmmm-mouthwatering morning meal — In other words, have a super yummy-licious breakfast to start the week on the right note.
- Move to music — Have you ever heard Manic Monday? It’s a huge 80s hit by the Bangles written by Prince made to make you sway.
- Mid-day march — Simply put, a brisk walk in the afternoon can be energizing. Smile at everyone you see.
Other ideas: make merry, Meaning Monday, melodic mellifluence, money management, mindful missives, mango madness
Rejected ideas: minute massage (not long enough), milky mommy (unintended visual), magnificent masculinity (I knew you’d go there but no, that’s not what I meant.)
TUESDAYS
- Tasty treats — Eat well. Snack well. A little treat is good for the mood.
- Trust today — Today will unfold as it’s meant to. Don’t doubt.
- Terrific time — Savor and enjoy your alone time or time with company.
- Titillating talk — Engage in a meaningful (or deliciously superficial) conversation. Present your ideas. Consider theirs. It’s the start of finding common ground.
- Tremendous treasure — Think about some of the things you treasure; things you would never give away to to Goodwill; things that mean a lot. Keep them. Or, pass them on as a gift to someone you treasure even more.
Other ideas: tender touch, teetering toddler, take turns twirling, tickle ten toes, telling true tales
Rejected ideas: test-taking, tube-tying, tongue-twisting, time travel, toilet training
WEDNESDAYS
- Wonderful world — Pause for a moment and ponder the magnificent mystery of the world. Let yourself be blown away.
- Wise words — Be inspired by quotable quotes from inspired women and men with a positive perspective.
- Willful work — Do what you love.
- Wallop-a-wall — Whether it’s existential, mental or emotional, picture pounding on a wall (catharsis!) and, as they say, break on through to the other side. (Thanks, The Doors)
Additional ideas: waste-not want-not wisdom, well-wishing, weekly wow, write and weave words and call yourself a writer, welcome windfall, witness wonders, wager to win
Rejected ideas: watch your weight; whack-a-worry; weekly wacky; wipe-away wars; wine, whine and wink; wearable weaponry; wave-a-wand; whisper-a-wish
THURSDAYS
- Thankfulness — How do we appreciate anything without being thankful?
- Theater thespians — Do we love them or what?!
- Thrills — A furtive glance, a soft touch, a romance, a helmet-less bike ride on the freeway (maybe not that last one).
Other ideas: things that thrive (businesses, babies, pure imagination, etc.)
Rejected ideas: theory thumping, thickened things, think thin, thorny thongs, thorough thievery, threshold thwarting
FRIDAYS
- Faithful friends — They are rare. Respect and revere them.
- Feature films — Shorts are fine, but good stories told through a beautiful feature film are pretty much timeless.
- Fortunate fluke — Some accidents work out for the best. Ever have one of those?
Other ideas: fantastic fortune, free fantasy, feathered fedora, feisty feline, fabled females, fierce femininity, fearless flight, fancy fiesta, fabulous family, flora and fauna
Rejected ideas: faux feathers, functional forks, fermenting fruits
SATURDAYS
- Sugar-coated sunflower seeds — Have you tried them? They’re little bites of almost guilt-free heaven. A little goes a long way, though.
- Scientific surgery — Intuition is great but not when it comes to surgery. Know what I mean?
- Symmetrical suitcases — Can you deal with the thought of cramming your things in any other shape?
Other ideas: signs and symbols, stable sisters, sane siblings, spicy sauce, Sephora specials, shiny shoes, systems software, synchronized swimming, sumptuous smorgasbord, sudsy soaps, sweet success
Rejected ideas: subway to suburbia (too controversial), stagecoach to the sky (sounds too much like death), ship to Shangri-la (too slow-moving), sprouted salads (I happen to love these but their appeal is limited.)
SUNDAYS
- Serendipitous sightings — Don’t you love seeing someone after you’ve just thought of them?
- Saffron skies — Not a daily sight, but knowing that it exists from time to time is enough incentive to look up and gaze upon the sky each day.
- Silly (love) songs — Need I say more?
Other ideas: soft silk; smooth satin; sultry skin; safe, um, stuff
Rejected ideas: saintly sacrifice (maybe, but mostly no), soju or sake shots (only if you want a serious hangover), secret stash of small sins (We never have to go there.)
++++++++++++++++
Do you find it easy or difficult to focus on delightful things?
What do you pay attention to?
Do you believe that ignorance is bliss?
++++++++++++++++
Image by NightRPStar
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Everything I am looking at this morning seems to be related to being grateful and counting my blessings. I have now added one more reason to be grateful to my list, your post brought a huge smile to my face!
Thank-you on this thankful Thursday for making me realise all the small things and small smiles add up to a happy day!
Best wishes,
Kate.
http://www.improvedconfidence.com
Hey Belinda,
Thanks for sharing all of these ideas.
I must admit that I’ve never heard of sugar-coated sunflower seeds. But they definitely sound interesting. 🙂
And here are three others from the list that I really liked:
Titillating talk
Faithful friends
Wonderful world (The world is indeed extraordinary when you really think about it! Just think about how right now the Earth is “floating” in space.)
This was great, thanks! Are sugar coated sunflowers really? Yum. :).
I love this post. It is positively saturated with delightful ideas and delving questions.
Thank you for the link my way. It means a lot to me.
I am indeed smiling into my screen and beyond. Thank you 🙂
Belinda,
Every time I’m clicking over to your site I get excited because I just know I’m going to see something good. So, imagine my delight when the first thing I saw was an array of magnificently colored jelly beans!
Yes, I too get drawn into the drama sometimes. I’ve made myself stop reading the paper first thing in the morning. An appreciation “exercise” is a more uplifting way to start the day.
I am confused, baffled, alarmed, at some of what I am seeing in our culture these days. Like you, though, I choose to focus elsewhere much of the time. I focus on things that feel GOOD.
While I don’t tend to focus on schedules, I love your lists. I think my favorite is saffron skies! Also, have you ever seen the ocean waves when they are phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark green? It is magnificent.
You always provide food for thought with great word crafting and wit. Well done!
Warm regards,
Lauren
Hi Belinda,
This was such a creative post. I love how you organized it and how you linked to posts that related to the subject. By the way, thank you for including me in the list of blog links.
As for the questions you posed at the end of the post….
Every single day we are surrounded with gifts and blessings. The mere fact we can get up in the morning and go to the bathroom on our own is a huge gift that many take for granted. Running water straight out of the faucet is another luxury we take for granted.
Every day is a gift and every day is a blessing. Yes, there are a lot of problems in the world and a lot of them would be solved if everyone got their act together and realized that life is about love and not fear.
And ignorance is not bliss. In my experience, all the ignorant people are part of the problem. The world can no more function from the perspective of “its you against me”. The perspective should be that we are all in this boat together so we might as well learn to get along. 🙂
Oh, thank you for this gift, Belinda – there’s so much goodness here! My favorite one? The mid-day march. Taking a short walk is something I look forward to each day – and usually something I stick to. I’m also awfully intrigued by the sugared sunflower seeds.
Husband and I, on our ride home, talk about one good thing that happened during the day. Honestly, we haven’t been so good about this in the last week – we need to get back to it. It’s so nice to share a smile or a laugh, to find the silver lining, to uncover even the smallest little delight on a difficult day. And it helps frame our evening in an uplifting mood instead of complain, complain, complain.
Dear Delightful Damsel: You’re freakin’ fabulous! Gettin’ us all gloriously giddy. Featuring fantastic friends. Nicely noodling our noodles. Wow! Whee! Whoopee! So I’m signing off now with adoring adulation.
p.s. Do you find the thesaurus thrilling, as I do?
p.s.s. Yes, sometimes, ignorance is beautifully blissful. You betcha. If we couldn’t down a dose of decent denial now and then, we’d likely become dreadfully depressed. Such wise words have been spoken by learned legions long before me.
p.p.s.s. I’m gloriously grateful for your luscious linky love.
Love the alliteration and the writing! Thank you! Except now I have a jelly bean craving. 🙂
Belinda,
Love the pic. And like Nicki I am also craving jelly beans. I love Do What You Love and I Am a Writer. Thanks so much for these necessary reminders. And of course the link to my post. It means so much.
Your writing is awesome!
The last couple of days I’ve been up at 5:00 and rushed out the door for a brisk 30 minute walk. Great way to start the day. Just this morning I felt so blessed to hear the birds chirping, to see the first light of day, to smell the fresh scents of spring. I was composing poetry in my head. So, yes, I love focusing on delightful things. There are blessings all around us…as long as we have the eyes to see.
Peace!
Mission accomplished, Belinda. I am grinning like a manic hyena. 🙂
I’m going to have to raid my wife’s CD collection and see if she’s got anything by the Bangles there. I remember enjoying their music back in the day!
Belinda –
Bloody brilliant blogging. A good way to make my day, every day. I may even sneak a few of the controversial rejected ideas into spice things up. Why live life if not to the full? Great stuff!
Phil
Oh, how I love alliteration – and the ways in which you’ve used it in this inspirational post. (As a mom who has been pregnant and/or nursing for the last three years, I laughed especially loud at your rejected “milky mommy.”)
Thanks for putting a big smile on my face today!
Belinda, A very creative (including the ones you thought were silly) and thoughtful post. The images on your site are beautiful. I especially loved the Tuesday ideas and the alliterations (Alliteration is one of my fav things.)
Coach Theresa
Thanks for visiting my site. Wow….it seems that we share many similar interests as well in thoughts in the area of personal development and creative art!! I like your selection of pictures in the jelly beans and the buttons (previous post). Not to mention, your daily inspiration post is a related idea to what I’ve just published. Let’s connect more!
With love,
Evelyn
What a wonderful line from Lamott. And thank you for all this great day by day sharing! (Now you’ve got me pondering sugar-coated sunflower seeds… )
This is the first time I have allowed myself to look at a blog. Ohmigod what have I gotten myself into? I will see what this brings to me…or, what I can bring to it!