Simple, Floral Pleasures

 A few years ago, I discovered the simple joy of having fresh flowers in my office and work space. I had a European colleague who, unbeknownst to him, inspired me to begin this practice. I often noticed that he would have fresh flowers in a stylish vase in his office. (I have no idea if his international background played a role in his office décor choices. But somehow it feels right, or more romantic to think that this is a European practice. It just has more panache than the office tchotchkes you typically find around an American desk.)

Initially, I felt funny buying flowers for myself. It wasn’t an “I’m special and I’m worth it” kind of purchase. It just always seemed like flowers were meant to be given to someone else, to brighten their day and celebrate their special occasion. I enjoy doing that – and of course I enjoy being on the receiving end of a floral gift.

But there’s something about the natural beauty, the vibrant colors, the exotic patterns, sometimes the accompanying scent of flowers in a vase near my desk that adds an extra dimension to my day. It’s one of the simplest pleasures, but one that heightens my senses, deepens my appreciation for the beauty of creation – and helps set a mood for my own creative work.

 

There’s something about a shoeshine

What is it about having my shoes shined that brings such a good feeling?

It’s not just the end product, although there’s a certain proud feeling walking around in a pair of newly polished, squeaky clean, shiny shoes. It has nothing to do with being served or pampered. No, it's more than that.

There’s something almost Zen-like in those five to ten minutes that I’m sitting in that big, comfy, worn-leather, throne-like chair. It’s a feeling of being removed from the world for those few minutes, where nothing else really matters. Relaxed in the chair, I am held captive until the shoeshiner is done his or her job. (A job they do with remarkable focus and pride, I might add. When I’ve polished my shoes at home – and it’s been a long time since that happened, since I’ve discovered the joy, ease and inexpensive option of visiting the shoeshiner – it’s been a real chore. The sooner I finish, the better. But while I would be done the job in a few minutes on my own, the shoeshiner goes on and on, polishing and wiping and shining for another five minutes or more. But I digress.)

Held captive in that comfy chair, sitting high above ground level, I am the king of my domain. I can read the morning paper, listen to some music, check emails, or simply people watch – all while sitting completely still for those few moments, nowhere else to go… nowhere else I’d rather be. While the rush of the city and Grand Central terminal goes on around me, I am still, peaceful, contemplative. We don’t get many moments like those every day. Who knew a simple stop at the shoeshine stand could deliver so much more than a shiny shoe?

My Dog is Like a Super Villain

Like a super villain, my dog is bent on utter destruction. Instead of plotting the end of the world, however, my dog is content to settle for a less lofty goal.

Mostly, he’s happy destroying his toys. Utterly destroying them. I recall as a child how much I cherished my most prized toys. If something happened and one of them got slightly damaged, let alone destroyed, I was devastated. In fact (true confession here), once when my "Captain Action" action figure lost a hand, I went so far as to “borrow” (OK, steal) the hand from my brother’s Captain Action figure to restore my Captain’s dismembered plastic body. (Sorry, Kyle.) I  just couldn’t stand the thought of playing with a damaged Captain Action.

But I digress. My point is that this dog has the complete opposite instinct. When he's playing with his toys, he is hell-bent on destroying them and he will settle for nothing less than their utter destruction – no matter how “indestructible” their packaging claims them to be. Fortunately, these days his destructive tendencies are channeled primarily on his toys. Earlier in his young life, his path of destruction included our couch and an “indestructible” dog leash (special word of thanks to the honorable “indestructible” dog leash company that honored its promise to replace any leash that was destroyed…).

Captain Action surely would have interceded (even minus one hand) to stop Megamind or Dr. Evil or any other super villains he faced from their paths of destruction. We, however, allow Cooper to continue on his ruthless mission of destruction, replacing the Kongs and balls and other “indestructible” toys when and as needed. So long as he channels his destructive tendencies on his toys and nothing else in the house, it's a simple price to pay for allowing him the pleasure of fulfilling his super-villainous instincts.