Moderate Pleasures

American culture has a big problem with pleasure, doesn’t it? Our Puritan roots suggest that every little enjoyment of life is going to turn into a slippery slope to damaging excess. Yet self-denial creates the needy feelings that make the forbidden more attractive than ever. This month, let’s experiment with our enjoyment, and find just the right amount of small and simple pleasures we need to feel satisfied! We don’t have to choose between rigid self-denial and overindulgence. We can try little bites of bliss, instead. This challenge offers a chance to learn about our enjoyment of the world, and live life to the fullest in a thoughtful way.

Daily:

Do something for the pleasure of it (Eat or drink something you love; dance; nap; make art; spend time in nature; play games; read for pleasure; treat yourself!)

Note it in your journal (How much or for how long did you do your chosen activity? How did you feel during? Afterwards? Was this the right amount for you? Adjust your approach based on the information you collect.)

To Do:

Make a private journal of enjoyment (in a notebook, in a text editor, it doesn’t have to be fancy!)

Think about what you’ve learned

Reflection:

Reading back over my journal, it’s clear that deep sources of pleasure in my life include my relationships, tea, coffee, delicious food (especially local or homemade), sunshine, and enjoying books and shows. It doesn’t diminish my enjoyment to pay attention to portion sizes with food–it’s the flavors and variety that matter to me. Chocolate and nice mugs to drink my tea out of are worth it.