Relishing in small pleasures
Happiness can be found in surprising ways
Jim LaJoie
When I was a kid, seven or eight, I received a baseball glove for my birthday. I had been asking my parents for a new glove for weeks. My old glove was a bit small, and the finger laces had come out. I wanted a new glove badly. As my birthday approached, every chore I was charged with doing I completed with a grand announcement, shamelessly ingratiating myself to my parents so that they would buy me that glove. Put down the comic book and get ready for church? No problem, mom, I am already dressed! Help my sister with homework? No problem, I will spend as much time as you want me to with her. I eventually got a new glove for my birthday. I wore that thing to bed the first night. My birthday is in March, so I had to wait a bit before the weather warmed up enough for me and my friends to play baseball. I eventually convinced them to play toward the end of the month. I remember there was still some snow on the ground. I didn’t care, I was playing with my new glove. I outgrew the glove in a few years, and got another, but never loved another piece of sports equipment as much as I loved that glove.
The older me doesn’t value any material possession quite as much as I did that baseball glove. There are items, though, that I find myself really enjoying.
One of those things is a coffee mug. Every morning, one of the first things I do after getting up is make myself a cup of coffee. I am often up before my wife. I typically have at least 45 minutes to myself where I drink my coffee, grab my iPad, and check out ESPN before bracing for the news sites. The mug I use for my coffee is not that old, four or five years old. My wife is a big fan of North Carolina pottery. There is a small town in the state – Seagrove - that has potterers and shops. Pre-Covid, I would dutifully go with her once a year. On one of our first visits to Seagrove my wife urged me to get this mug that was in one of the shops we hit. The mug is a light brown color, tall and sturdy, with a wide handle. The mug is not much to look at, but it pleases me every morning to drink from it. It signifies the beginning of a new day. It also reminds me of the day I spent with my wife, sleeping peacefully while I drink my coffee.
Another item with great sentimental value is an old watch. I had an uncle whom I was very close to. He has been gone for about 20 years now. I still miss him. He was a jeweler specializing in watches. He often would stumble upon a small cache of older watches. He gave me a birth year watch, a 1959 Omega Seamaster. It is small by today’s standards, about 35mm. I don’t wear it often, but when I do, I always think of my uncle. I should wear that watch more often.
I have had an old gray, hooded sweatshirt for at least a dozen years now. The sleeves are tattered. There are small, long-forgotten stains on it in several places. I wear it often once the cooler weather hits. I wear it when doing yardwork, walking the dogs, sitting around watching a game on tv. It is impossible for me not to feel relaxed in that thing. My wife must be sick of seeing me wearing it, but to her credit has never said anything.
There’s an old baseball cap a buddy gave me about 15 years ago. I wear that hat often on weekends. I love that hat. There is a leather adjustment on the back. I have had to adjust the size of the hat a few times over the years. I choose to believe the adjustments were the result of my head shrinking, not because of receding hair.
Life is full of small pleasures, if you take the time to notice, and enjoy, them.
About the author: Jim LaJoie resides in North Carolina.