See the Alternate Routes Lately? (Copyright Lately by the Alternate Routes)
I like to write and think about the little things. I can’t help but think that there are endless avenues that lead towards a more satisfying moment, hour, or even day. They are small little details that pack a big punch. How we arrive at a given moment may be entirely up to us, so why not explore the options? The paths to smile are as many as we can conjure. We just need to reach out with an open mind and give ourselves the time the of day. After all, we deserve it.
I’m not talking about spiritual bliss, here. I’m talking about the little things:
1. Put lemon in your tea.
2. Garnish the plate of a home cooked meal.
3. Polish your shoes every once and a while.
4. Write a handwritten letter to a good friend.
5. Drink coffee out of a mug, even at a coffee shop.
6. Call your friend to laugh out loud.
7. Write a list of things to not do.
8. Look in the mirror and say “damn you look good.”
9. Put on your robe and slippers to eat dinner (at home, preferably).
10. Find a way to work bloody hell into your vocabulary.
In thrall to routine, we tend to cut corners when it comes to our own happiness, and I’m afraid that we miss out on some of the simple joys in life. The word routine is French from route. Our days are filled with alternate routes, most of which converge just before we jump into bed. We can always decide which path to take. So why take the same path if other options are available?
Off the top of your head, do you have any little things?
Categories: Bloody Hell, Creative Writing, Life, Rambling, Random, Stream of Conscious
eternal Domnation 
“Write a list of things to not do.” Great idea.
Like write a To DO list then cross off all the ones you can get away with not doing before you start.
Sorry sir, but I take my tea with milk.
A very thought-provoking post. I think I’d rather find the path that makes me smile than any other route. A smile is easy to pass onto others, too, and make their paths more pleasant. Sometimes, not moving down any path, but stopping to enjoy the moment is just as important as taking the next step. 🙂
Hmmm, I’m tired right now. So this might not make sense. But I look down a lot. I’m always focused on where to put my foot for fear that I will trip. Rarely, I look up, and when I do, invariably I trip. But sometimes, I happen to look up and see something wonderful: a balloon, an aerial fight between jays and a hawk, a sliver of the moon. Now if I could just stop fearing that I will trip, maybe I could look up more often…
Take time to look up properly.Stand still. Absorb the moment. You only trip if you try to keep walking at the same time.
Very true!
Emily and I always get a kick out of listening to Dodger snore. Only from a pet is snoring cute.
Listening to music through really good headphones- for me it’s like hearing the songs for the first time.
This is just what I needed right now, and what I was thinking about while sitting on my beautiful campus, enjoying one of my favorite little things- getting to class an hour early and sitting in the shade and enjoying the bird song while finishing my book. Love you uncle Dom!
I was just thinking how fabulous the little things can be earlier today! I’d been zipping past an elderly man who was labouring his way up towards the tube platform. He made it into the train just before the doors closed. The “yes I did it!” on his face made my day!
Good thought for the day. For me, I like to think of it as being present in the moment. Truly stopping my mind – which loves to visit the past and live in the future – and absorbing the moment. Yesterday, it was about sitting with my wife in a new hangout we found and listening to her tell me about her day. It was solid bliss factor 10.
Now that, my friend, is what it is all about: being present in the moment. “Solid bliss factor 10” – I may have to steal this from you! Thanks for the comment and wonderful thought…
My gift to you, ha ha. If you put it on a t-shirt, I want halfsies. And a few shirts to pass out. Enjoy your day!