Simple Pleasures

If one leads a simple life, he can find pleasure in simple occurrences. I had that experience last weekend. It was a time of finding things which I had missed.

I had missed a Thermos travel cup and had asked people at the only place I could think of that I might have left it. I save aluminium cans for a friend who recycles them for cash. I called him and made arrangements for him to come by and pick up a collection last Saturday. He said, "And, I'll bring your cup." Mystery solved. He had taken me to the airport last July when I flew to Rockford for Mom's birthday party, and I had left it in his car.

I had missed a ballpoint pen that I keep near the door to stick in my pocket on the way out, if I think I might need it. Last Sunday morning, I took a shirt from my closet to wear to church. I stepped in front of a mirror, started to button it, and what do you think I saw sticking out of the pocket? I'm confident you guessed correctly. Mystery solved.

There was a small flowering tree in my yard that I thought had been killed by the cold. I dug it out, and realizing that the roots still had life, I potted them to try to get new growth. When I retrieved my watering can, I couldn't find the sprinkler head for it, because dusk had encroached. I figured it was somewhere nearby. I turned on the light and looked; I got my flashlight and looked from different angles and under tables, all to no avail. A couple of days later, in the daylight, something white and familiar looking caught my eye hiding behind a can. Eureka!

I like having a place for everything, and everything in its place. I said I like it. I didn't say I live it. Someday I'll find the missing cap from one of my gas cans.