Have you ever noticed that when you delight in the small things it keeps growing? In fact, I’d wager that is indeed that small things that perhaps matter most to us. The day to day rituals( context of routines) that makes it a little better, being intentional of creating systems even for the things you don’t want to do helps create delights?
Every time delight enters the picture there is a friend who always accompany it. A sense of thanksgiving. An ability to welcome an atmosphere or thing that gives happiness. I took the time to look up the word- delight.
Delight
1 of 2
noun
de·light di-ˈlīt dē-
Synonyms of delight
1
: a high degree of gratification or pleasure : JOY children squealing in delight
also : extreme satisfaction seems to take delight in the misfortunes of others
2
: something that gives great pleasure
her performance was a delight
3
archaic : the power of affording pleasure
of more delight than hawks or horses be—Shakespeare
delight
2 of 2
verb
delighted; delighting; delights
intransitive verb
1
: to take great pleasure
delighted in playing the guitar
2
: to give keen enjoyment
a book certain to delight
transitive verb
: to give joy or satisfaction to
Her books delight readers of all ages.
Delight never ends, unless you stop it.
It increases actually and becomes a part of daily life. But the thing is…tending and cultivating delight is key. The more you use it, the more you have acknowledgement of it.
Right now I live in apartment with three other adults and two cats in a 1,000 ft. Some days it is so easy to delight. Others days it is taxing. It is hard to not feel resentment at times especially when friends both local and overseas say our apartment is huge. To be honest, it is a good size and the way it is laid out was very well done. There is a spaciousness there not even in larger homes. Yet, it is not without it’s troubles despite the fact that we do delight in our home.
For example, I could choose to focus on the fact that we literally do not have an office…not even a working desk. Three business owners work off the small dinning room table. After a year we managed to create an office space in the closet- not perfection for natural light lovers and space to breathe- but it does work(ish).
For working with art, we set up a small folding 6ft table that takes more than half our family room for art making, photograph matting, and the printer gets transports from our garage to the dining room table for the printing days. How easy it is to say it’s too hard. It’s messy. There is no door to shut it off, and if we want a table to eat from it must be cleared off.
We love to host and have others over…we can fit 5 people in our apartment comfortably…others are relegated to hard chairs and benches that makes you sore if sitting too long. I could keep going- but I am falling into a rabbit hole.
Yet. Despite it all, there is a certain delight. A breath of thanksgiving. Not ignoring the hard things, but being willing to when feasible address them. We have learned to declutter ruthlessly. That having maintenance done for us frees up our time for others. A smaller space keeps us mindful of our purchases and we’ve discovered ways of being more intentional of how we organize.
But perhaps most of all, our favorite things of our apartment are our porch, the sunlight that comes in from the south, and the ability to garden with free reign as long as it doesn’t intrude on our neighbors. It is probably one of my favorite places I’ve lived purely for the sake of beauty and frankly getting out of “house” projects. It is restful with a beautiful view of historic farmland, and private enough that I feel at ease.
Delight in process of the imperfections what is yours to love as beauty comes into the room.
Delight doesn’t sweep problems under the rugs. It is a grounding force. Delight allows you to take enjoyment despite working things out. To allow your heart to let go of control of “what should be” and to flourish in less ideal situations. Most of all…delight doesn’t compare. It changes you, delighting in something or someone is personal. It is pure, it causes no harm, and often what delights you has effects on others that encourages their hearts in the midst of their own storm.
Tell me, nonsensical or not, my friend what delights you today?