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To all those who shared their pleasures:
Suzanne Albertson, Timothy Anderson, Joan Backus, Ame Beanland, Barbara Black, Kathie Brezer, Rick Brezer, Jennifer Brontsema, Adrien Brown, Daryl Brown, Terry Brumby, Rebecca Crichton, Ann Marie Cunningham, Esther Dick, Candas Dorsey, Dorothy Field, Derek Fox, Viola Fox, Sarah Gee, Will Glennon, Sue Hara, Kathleen Harper, Brian Harvey, Sarah Harvey, Larry Hunnicutt, Mags Johnston, Debby Jones, Eric Jones, Victoria Kahn, Brenda Knight, Ira Kurlander, Daniel Leen, Mollie MacGregor-Greer, Alison MacKenzie, Meg Mann, Laura Marceau, James Mays, Brian McDonald, Christina McKnight, Lynn Milnes, Patrick Pothier, Chris Roberts, Jim Roberts, Kevin Ronneseth, Raymond Rosenkranz, Gloria, Vincent, and Mary Jane Ryan, Eunice Scarfe, Fran Stevenson, Lisa Stevenson, Jill Swartz, Bonnie Thompson, Nancy Turner, Joan Tuttle, Mutang Urud, Joanie Vance.
And especially to Heather Fox, the Queen of Comforts
Copyright 1996 by Robert Taylor, Susannah Seton, and David Greer
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews. For information, contact Conari Press, 2550 Ninth St., Suite 101, Berkeley, CA 94710.
Conari Press books are distributed by Publishers Group West
A few of the stories in this book were originally published in Slowing Down in a Speeded Up World, copyright 1994 by Adair Lara.
Reprinted by permission of Conari Press.
Cover Photograph: © Photodisc
Cover and book design: Suzanne Albertson
Page 105 illustration: Jonathan Robertson
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data
Taylor, Robert, 1940 June 1–
Simple pleasures : soothing suggestions & small comforts for living well year round / Robert Taylor & Susannah Seton & David Greer.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-57324-763-4 (paperback)
ISBN 1-57324-075-3 (hard cover)
1. Simplicity. 2. Taylor, Robert, 1940 June 1– . 3. Pleasure. I. Seton, Susannah, 1952– . II. Greer, David, 1946– . III. Title.
BJ 1496. T 39 1997
646.7dc—21
96-44712
CIP
Printed in the Canada on recycled paper
01 02 03 04 TR 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
“I open the door. The gorgeous guest from afar sweeps in. In her hands are her gifts—the gifts of hours and farseeing moments, the gifts of mornings and evenings, the gift of spring and summer, the gift of autumn and winter. She must have searched the heavens for boons so rare.”
—Abbie Graham
Simple Pleasures
A Potpourri of Pleasures
“When we lack proper time for the simple pleasures of life, for the enjoyment of eating, drinking, playing, creating, visiting friends, and watching children at play, then we have missed the purpose of life. Not on bread alone do we live but on all these human and heart-hungry luxuries.”
—Ed Hayes
THERE'S A ZEN STORY ABOUT A MONK who was climbing a steep mountain. Suddenly there appeared above him a snarling tiger, blocking his path. Below him, the cliff fell away to a gaping chasm. While he was deciding what to do next, the monk turned his gaze to the mountainside in front of his face. There his eye fell upon a little plant that had managed to root itself in a crevice. And from the plant's single stem hung a perfect wild strawberry, ripe and red and glistening with dew. The monk reached out his hand, plucked the tiny fruit, pressed it against his tongue, and closed his eyes in ecstasy.
This book is about seizing the day and savoring the moment. It's about finding a touch of bliss in everyday events. And it's about paying attention to wild strawberries, whatever form they may take.
While most people would gladly agree that the pursuit of happiness is high on their list of priorities in life, they might think twice about saying the same about the pursuit of pleasure. In a culture that places so much emphasis on productivity, pleasure gets bad press. Somehow we associate it with idleness and decadence. But happiness, that elusive butterfly, has a lot to do with our ability to take delight in the day-to-day pleasures of our existence, whether that means the smell of a rose or the love felt for a child or the comforting rituals that soothe us. Too many of us pass these basic satisfactions by in the rush and clutter of modern life. And sometime later, whatever our grand achievements, like Citizen Kane we often long for a simpler life and remember best our Rosebuds, those small delights that seemed like nothing much at the time and brought us happiness when we thought about it least.
The simple pleasures of our lives are too important to be reduced to memories.