Duty of Delight ~ Tuesday 4

Here we are coming up on another of Toni's Tuesday 4.  Annie of Cottage by the Sea took over for Toni when Toni passed and she has now been hosting Tuesday 4 for 4 years!  Well done and thank you to dear Annie. 

Here are this week's questions.

1. What do you do on a typical weekend?    Saturday? Sunday?  How do you make them delightful or joyous?

I live a simple life and my weekends are typically full of work and a little relaxation.  I am busy running errands, usually buying food and other necessities, going to the library and post office, cleaning and doing other household tasks.  I have to spread out my work over 7 days because I can't seem to get it all done in 5 days! 

For relaxation I like to read or do other hobbies, meet up with friends, sometimes eat out and see the odd movie or concert.  I also enjoy taking walks and photographing what I see when I'm out and about. I also like to attend church.

I don't consciously try to make things delightful or joyous because over time I've cultivated an attitude of gratitude (pardon the phrase) and learned to be content in all things. This contentment brings joy, not a momentary, fleeting feeling, but something deeper and ingrained.

2.   What sources of joy do you find in your days?

I find a lot of small things give me joy.  It takes very little to make me happy and being mindful of all the wonderful small things in life brings me contentment.  Some of the small things that bring joy include: getting a lot of chores or tasks done in 1 day than the usual, reading more than a few pages in a good book, folding and putting away laundry right after it's done, finding a bargain at the grocery store or in another store, making something with my hands, hearing from or spending time with a beloved family member or a good friend, baking, seeing a good play or concert and so many other things.  I also find joy in learning. I watch a lot of You Tube videos to learn a lot of what is going on in the world, issues of the day, history, travel information, tips and tricks for household matters, 'how to' videos for crafting and DIYs, cooking new dishes and so on. I also like to listen to Christian pastors, teachers and gospel singers on You Tube and to read and study my Bible or hear from Christian & secular thought leaders about a variety of subjects. I almost forgot though I shouldn't, I get a lot of joy when I'm spending time with the Lord in worship and in his Word and also when I hear wonderful testimonies of God's goodness or I see his answers to prayers. It really is amazing to have these blessings in life.

 

3. What's for dinner tonight?  How will you make it  a delight and a joy?

We had a simple dinner tonight of baked (packaged) fish and chips with green salad. Last night we had cabbage and beef soup.  Tomorrow I think we'll have ham and cheese quiche which I will make tonight.

Yes, I will make it a delight because I'm always delighted when I'm able to prepare food at home to avoid food waste and to save money. This month and next month, I'm going to experiment with making more meals from a meal plan, using less meat and using more beans and pulses. I've been wanting to do this for a long time and so it begins. I won't completely cut out meat and chicken but will reduce it considerably.  For example, I'll be making lentil, bean and chicken burritos and vegetable pot pie instead of the usual chicken or turkey pot pie.

4.  How are you doing personally and how can we add to the joy and delight in your days?

I'm doing well personally though since the rain started back in force a few days ago, I'm in a lot of pain and my body is quite stiff during the day. I didn't experience these symptoms when it was very cold but no rain over the past few weeks. 

Which is better? Rain and warmer temperatures, but a stiff, aching body or cold and windy or snowy weather but a body with less aches and pains? Well I prefer warmer temperatures these days. Soon it will be spring and I can't wait because the green things start growing, the days warm up and the sun comes out more often. 

Gardening, prettying up the patio, saving money, eating frugally, enjoying hobbies and making time for friends and loved ones is how I'll continue adding joy and delight to my days. Who knows, I might even be able to start planning for a holiday but I'll have to wait and see what other big (expensive) household and building repairs are coming up first.

What about you dear reader? How are you doing and what is bringing you joy? 

The Weekend Was Fruitful

 Hi friends,

I hope you've all had a beautiful and productive or relaxing weekend.

I have certainly been busy with this and that. 

First up is some sad news. Pastor Jonah lost another family member earlier in the week to pneumonia. Please keep a kind thought for him and the family. Also the court hearing for the land grant is scheduled for Wednesday. Hopefully this will be the last item of business before the court rules on the issue.

Friday I spent trying to get my young relative situated for getting the community garden plot weeded and compost added. Surprisingly it took a fair bit of time because I wasn't meeting her at the plot and she needed orientation with everything.  Fortunately I showed her the plot last summer so basically she just needed a refresher. I also spent some time repackaging seeds (I have too many for my small balcony garden) to share with her.

Friday I also went to the library and picked up a few novels and decorating books. I'm really looking forward to reading all of these.  I made a small start today (Sunday). I was going to stop at the grocery store for a few items but had forgotten my phone at home so I decided to wait for the next day. I have a few apps on the phone and I accumulate points based on buying certain things. 

Later that night I had a call from a friend I haven't seen or heard from since the pandemic. It was good to catch up with her. I also binge watched Netflix catching up on the most recent season of  The Crown. I watched so many episodes and by the time I finished I was very sleepy.

Saturday I found myself running more errands. This time I had my phone so I did a small bit of grocery shopping and stopped for coffee afterwards and began reading one of my books. I also stopped in at the pharmacy. Fortunately the owner was in and I was able to discuss various issues related to my latest prescription refill.  He had left me a voice message and I didn't want to call back and talk to one of his staff. It's just easier to question and explain things in person and I'm glad we did since I had misunderstood his voice message. We managed to sort everything out satisfactorily.

One of my brother's called and we had a nice long catch up. He gave me some wonderful person news about his children and a great report about his own health update. It made me realize how much I've been missing hearing good news! 

Afterward I spent a lot of time scouring various websites looking for some home decor items, pricing them and seeing what might work for my needs.  I find this kind of research very time consuming and very tiring.  I didn't make any final decisions about anything. I want to take my time and make the fewest purchases possible to deal with the different areas I want to deal with in my home.  I also watched the movie, The Pianist with Adrian Brody on Netflix. I didn't see the movie when it was released in 2002. It was very well done and heart wrenching.  If you haven't seen it and have Netflix, I would highly recommend it.

It's now Sunday and again it was a busy day. The dishes are done, the kitchen, bathroom and entry way floors are vacuumed and washed, the living room and dining room are vacuumed and all the recycling has been taken to the recycling bins. It feels good to get excess stuff out of the way.  I also managed to get rid of 6 items of clothing (2 old tops and 2 sets of pajamas) that have seen better days. I have a lot more to do but will get to it all in due time.

In the evening I did a few loads of laundry and steam refreshed my pillows. Now I have clean bedding on the bed and ready for a good night's sleep. This will be likely (and hopefully) be the last time I wash and return the blue mink sheets to my bed because the weather has warmed up and the sheets will be too heavy soon.  I'm glad it's finally warming up. I love this time of year when the sun returns on a regular basis, the weather warms up and it is not too hot to get out and enjoy a walk or an outing.

 

In  between cleaning and getting ready for the week ahead, I watched the Oprah interview with Megan and Harry. I was shocked by what I heard from the both of them and my heart went out to them for what they have endured.  I must say, before I heard the interview I was in the camp of thinking they were privileged and spoiled.   I felt they were honest in the interview and tried hard not to say anything negative about the Royals.  However they also tried to speak truth and I cannot understand how Prince Harry could be denied security for himself and I cannot understand how his own father could cut him out of communications. I am honestly stunned because you do not expect a parent to stop talking to you. It must hurt so much after having lost his mother when he was so young. I am glad those two are out of the Royal Family and making their own way in the world. I think they are better off for it and the public can stop complaining about having to pay more members of the Royal Firm. At least their mental health should be much better now that they are 'free'.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week ahead and that you too enjoy better mental health as we seem to be getting closer to having restrictions lifted off of us all with the mass vaccinations now taking place.

Tomorrow, Monday, March 8 is International Women's Day. To all the women reading this, may you have a positive day where you feel loved, supported and respected not just on this one day but in each and every day.