In Chapter 3, we learn that one of George's favorite things to do is read to his children before bedtime. Even with all of the negative things he is dealing with, this activity appears to be the bright spot in his days.
For me, the ride home from school every afternoon with my oldest son is one such moment. No matter what has transpired, good or bad, during my work day, this drive gives me 10-12 minutes to focus on him. He gets undivided attention, which is normally tough with his 5 year old brother and 2 year old sister. I get to put my issues aside for awhile and be an active listener to the things he experienced that day.
What simple pleasures do you have in your life that you look forward to, no matter how bad your day has been?
For me, one thing in my life that I look forward to quite often is my evening run. Putting on some headphones and listening to an energy inducing playlist adds to the joy of my run. It is the part of my day that I look forward to the most for many reasons. The benefits of being healthy are obvious. However, the reason I like it the most is because it relieves me from all the stress and frustration I've had in my day. I'm too busy concentrating on breathing and rocking out to my music that I do not have any time to focus on those things. For me, it's a guaranteed 30-45 minutes of positive thinking. By the time I'm done, I feel so accomplished that I usually stay positive for the remainder of the evening. It's a win-win situation.
ReplyDeleteRunning? Ugh.
ReplyDeleteMy Sunday afternoon nap on the couch is one of my favorites. Too bad it seems like most Sundays I'm too busy for it anymore...
I am with Craig. Unfortunately my fall schedule had eliminated the time for these runs. I am going to make a commitment to get back to those runs ASAP! They are one of the few times I get to just think and sort things out.
DeleteI look forward to talking with my daughters each night to hear how their day went. I love the fact that they call and enjoy spending time with us.
ReplyDeleteFor me, it is time spent with my three year old niece, Jewel. (Love my younger niece, too, but she is still quite young!) She always lights up like I am the best person on Earth when I go to see her. Her view of the world is that everything is beautiful and she loves everything right down to the spiders that I have to pretend I am not terrified of, in her words, "Aunt Holly, aren't they cute!" I get a chance to be protector, teacher, and child all at once as I watch her discover everything! Spending time with her renews my energy and reminds me what life and unconditional love is all about.
ReplyDeleteMorning coffee on the way to work is my favorite time. Time alone listening to the news gets me going and I look forward to talking to my co-workers in the morning.
ReplyDeleteGood thoughts Tom! I was trying to think of my favorite time and you triggered it for me. I spend a lot of time in the car. A few years ago I decided to listen to books on CD and 4 years later I have 83 books and hundreds of otherwise wasted time to learning and educational input that I have put off for years! Sometimes I'm actually disappointed to have a rider (don't tell my wife) when I'm just getting into an exciting physics lecture or Dante's Inferno or a part of Psalms I never remembered reading before. Cool.
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