By Ruth A. Sheets
I don’t know about you, but for me the past couple of months have been difficult. There is winter that is not cold enough and global warming is on my mind with every weather report. There is the political insanity of an indicted man, convicted of rape, running for our highest office when he was an appalling failure the first time. There is the regular coverage of two wars, neither of which should have happened: Ukraine and Gaza. And to top that off, there were family challenges and the loss of loved ones to work through.
Then two things happened that lifted my spirit. The first was that I went on a cruise with my sisters to the Caribbean. I got to visit a place I had wanted to see for years, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and it was as special as I thought it would be.
The second was an interview I heard with poet and essayist Ross Gay. He had written The Book of Delights a few years ago and just finished The Book of More Delights. His premise is that there are delights all around us but we miss them as we move quickly through the world, hardly noticing them. The darker side of life is presented as though it is the most common experience and we should expect the negativity. Ross Gay says that is ridiculous and that if we changed our perspective, life would improve significantly.
He set out to write an essay a day for a year including the daily delights he encountered. He didn’t quite get an essay a day, but he did write many. They included simple things like an unexpected bird landing on a branch to more complex delights like observing an encounter with strangers. I really enjoyed learning what he considered delightful and often found myself smiling as I read.
I am not as ambitious as Ross Gay, but I have decided to identify a few delights of the past couple of weeks. Maybe we can start a trend in noticing the world around us and just how amazing it is.
Delight 1: While we were on the ship, I often walked onto our little balcony and felt the wind on my face, and heard the ocean as the ship moved through the water. The sounds changed based on whether there was a storm or fair weather or depending on the time of day. One day I thought I heard rain and opened the door. It was pouring, but only on our little part of the ship. It lasted about 5 minutes, raining just for us, with our own little cloud.
Delight 2: I love food, all kinds of food. I used to say I never met a cuisine I didn’t like and it is still true. Again, on our vacation, I ate a simple meal of fish and chips 4 times. It was prepared so well and tasted so good I enjoyed every bite. My sisters did too which was fun since they don’t like most of the things I do. Each piece of fish and French fry was a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and yummy on the inside. As I write this, I am delighted all over again.
Delight 3: My sister’s niece and nephew came to visit a few weeks back. Their daughter was 5 months old at the time. I got to hold her for quite a while and she seemed to like sitting with me. She was doing her baby giggle and it made me want to laugh too. That’s a delight parents and grandparents of young children get to experience every day if they take time to notice.
Delight 4: The birds are back! When I walk outside in the morning, I hear a variety of birds chirping, arguing, calling out for attention and I know spring is here. For a couple of years, few birds were making their noises and I missed them. I hope the ones in the chorus these days are planning to stay. I heard birds hanging around my balcony. I am hoping my grackles are back to start their family. Last year, there were two sets of chicks, a delight every day while they nested there.
Delight 5: I am a major radio aficionado. I was listening to WRTI, Philadelphia’s classical and jazz station last week when there was a whole day of music I love. I knew most of the pieces that day and enjoyed one after another. My favorite, Mozart’s French Horn Concerto #4. I felt as though they had checked out my albums and picked a bunch to play, ones that would please lots of other people too.
Delight 6: I have the honor of leading worship at my church through the last weeks of Lent, through Easter. It has been delightful looking through the hymns and other music to include. I want to be sure not to repeat hymns so I had to find others that could work. It’s a lot of work, but when a service comes together, it is truly a delight.
Delight 7: A friend of mine from graduate school send me a book and pamphlets she had written. Since I can’t read print, I shared them with friends at church. One of the women was looking through a book and asked if I knew she had written a poem dedicated to me. I didn’t know. She read it for me and It was amazing that she thought of me as someone who mattered in her life. I don’t get to see her because she lives in Iowa, but we have kept in touch for more than 35 years.
Delight 8: Did you ever bite into something that was just perfect and tasted like what one might imagine Heaven is like? Well this morning, I took a bite of my breakfast burrito, made by my own hands, seasoned with Penzy’s spices (a great company that not only produces fair trade spices but supports “liberal” causes), then wrapped with a slightly toasted tortilla. Then to follow that bite, I sipped my mug of chocolate macaroon, my favorite tea. It gave me the energy to face the insanity of my inbox.
Since I started focusing more on the delightful aspects of my life, I think I have been better able to handle the rest of the craziness that is going on. I am not as talented as Ross Gay in presenting my delights, but it has been fun remembering those I described here. I highly recommend people try it.
