My longtime readers (if I have any) will know that I have two cats, named Moe and Larry. I have had them for coming up on 13 years. Moe is frequently referred to as "The Lieutenant Demander" in my house. Larry? Sometimes he's "Mr. Larry" or "Big Larry" or "Larry-Berry". Both of them are nice cats, sociable, but they have a favorite person (besides themselves) and that's me.
A few years ago I realized an important lesson from Larry: it's all about the simple pleasures.
Moe will demand attention. He's pretty much an in your face cat. He will jump in your lap whether or not you want him to, and he's been known on several occasions to demand attention by the way he meows at me. It's not a request. It's an order.
Larry will also want attention from me on a daily basis. He doesn't demand it in the same way Moe does. He instead will block your passage in order to get a pet. He's also an opportunist. One night he snuck into the room after I had drifted off to sleep. Pretty soon I'm aware of this cat head burying itself into my right hand. He wanted his head scratched, and was moving his head back and forth across my hand to get it scratched. The way that he enjoys pets is, simply put, to the max. I realized one day that with him, it was all about the simple pleasures (I think Moe's favorite simple pleasure is bossing me around when it comes to the food dish).
So why do I bring this up?
We live in a world that can be enjoyable on some days and a place you want to escape from on others. I'll be honest. I am on several days extremely dissatisfied with my situation and wondering how I can improve it. Work is comic relief on some days and aggravation on others. One day you're the pigeon and the next day you're the statue. Some days you get money and other days you have to spend it. Some days bring you nice pleasant sunshine and other days bring you bee eye itch cold. Some days you're walking six feet off of the ground and other days you want to hide under the ground somewhere in a cave.
But on every day Moe wants to cuddle, Larry wants his head scratched, and every day both of those guys are focused on the simple pleasures.
On a day like today, I have to think about the simple pleasures. No, this wasn't the worst day I ever had in my life. What it is is that it's been slow at work, it's going to be slow for a few weeks, and I'm on a "make work" task for the next two weeks or so. I don't exactly enjoy going in. I am on some days vexed by a co-worker and these days Friday is my favorite day.
So what are my simple pleasures?
One of them is getting an old nickel in your change. Another is getting on the air and getting to talk to someone in another state or another country. Another is the church that I go to.........blessed with a great congregation and a pastor who's leading a fascinating Bible study on the Book of Revelation (I need to post about that some time). I enjoy coming home to my wife and family. And yes, it's a simple pleasure to see Moe and Larry get their simple pleasures.
Could my situation right now be better than what it is now? In my mind it could. How come it isn't? Maybe it's where I need to be right now.
How can my situation be better? I have a neat wife. I have great friends. I live in Arizona and not California. I'm not turning hamburgers at Jack-in-the-Box. I'm not living in Trashcan. I've had (in my mind) a lot of success in amateur radio. I get to go out and shoot guns if I want to. I can email Fred Turner and ask him BTO questions whenever I want to (I don't have very many of them left to ask, to be honest).
In other words........I've got it pretty danged good.
I can either be a malcontent this evening, and whine about how bad I've got it.
Or, I can reflect upon my blessings and enjoy a simple pleasure.
It's all about the simple pleasures.
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