MY MARCH DELIGHTS
As I mentioned at the beginning of January when I chose "Delight" as my Word of the Year, I thought I'd round off each month with three delights. March has been a lovely month here in Australia - cooling off a little from the incessant summer heat (hooray!), and today I'm sharing for March a personal delight, a furry delight, and a quote about savouring the small delights.So, without further ado here are my three delights for March...
As I mentioned in my post about our holiday in Albany, we had a lovely few days in the far south of Western Australia. The weather was absolutely beautiful - sunny days interspersed with a little bit of cloudiness. We headed home on a Thursday morning and then saw an article in the newspaper a couple of days later saying that the area had been hit by a huge thunderstorm with local flooding on the Thursday night. It was the highest daily rainfall in Albany's history - and we completely missed it!
I wrote a post a while ago that was about good things just happening, and it feels a little surreal that our days looked like this rather than the pictures in the news story. Dodging the storm made us appreciate our time down there even more.
OUR FURRY DELIGHTS
I was waiting for something to pop up out of the blue to include in my March delights, and then realized that one of the sweetest parts of life is the enjoyment we get from our two cats. One is a super friendly, curious soul who is starting to slow down - she's 17 and in cat years that's understandable. The other is a much more self-contained soul who loves my husband above all - and me if he's not available. They also love each other (most of the time!) Here's how they like to hang out....The Yin and Yang of cats....
A QUOTE ABOUT SMALL DELIGHTS
I think we sometimes feel like our life needs to have big moments of happiness, but it's often in the small joys and delights that we find a life of true contentment and happiness. It's all about savouring the small daily delights that we often take for granted.
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Leanne, we all suffer setbacks and disappointments, but when we focus on delighting in the little things, the difficult times fade away quickly. We had the most precious delight this morning. The Easter Amaryllis I dug up from Nana's house and planted in a pot to bring to the new place has a bud. We won't be here to see it open, but it is a wonderful surprise, nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteOh I love that - such a small thing, but such a joyful thing. We're in the middle of a bathroom overhaul and refit - it drains me living around the chaos, but each time I pick a fig off our tree out the back, or pat our little cats, or enjoy the peace when the tradies go home, I'm reminded that life is good. I'm glad you're keeping that Amaryllis. :)
DeleteBTW, this is Suzanne. Not sure why things went wonkers.
DeleteThanks for letting me know Suzanne - and I expect a photo of that Amaryllis to appear on your blog one day x
DeleteHi Leanne. There's been so much in my travel lifestyle to be delighted about in the last 15 years, and I'm so grateful that God has given me these wonderful experiences. We're preparing for new delights, as we look for our place to settle in the states. I want to try things that I've never done before, and go places, in my own country, that I've never been. I feel so blessed. Thank you for sharing your March delights.
ReplyDeleteHi Christina - I'm so excited for you to be returning home. Are you planning on finding a place near where you lived before, or are you heading to a different State or place? America is a BIG place and I'm sure there's years of exploring ahead of you - and maybe reconnecting with some of your family too. x
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ReplyDeleteHi, Leanne. I love how you're embracing "Delight" as your Word of the Year and weaving it into your monthly reflections! Your getaway to Albany sounds perfectly timed—how lucky to miss that historic storm. And your furry companions? They are adorable! I also appreciate your reminder about the power of small joys—so often, it's the little moments that bring the most contentment. A lovely read!
Hi Donna - thank you for always being here with a positive and encouraging comment - one of the many small delights in my day :) And yes, missing that storm made our little getaway even sweeter - it would have been a sad way to end our holiday if we'd been inundate with flood water!
DeleteA fabulous month of delights; so glad you were able to dodge the storm on your vacation and your yin/yang cats are adorable.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo - it was a small getaway, but timed perfectly - and I could head back there tomorrow. The chaos of our bathroom renovation continues, and a few days of beach walks and quiet would get another big tick from me. I think we'll be repeating our time away sooner rather than waiting for another year to pass by!
DeleteHi Leanne - I love your kitties. I have my own fur babies. My delight for this month is a new granddaughter----my first grand child.
ReplyDeleteHi April - congratulations on your new grandbaby! I think grandchildren are the best kept secret in the world - you get to have all the good parts of parenting and loving - and none of the tougher discipline stuff! Enjoy every single baby snuggle - they grow up fast! x
DeleteI love the picture of your kitties. I was never a cat person ( although I didn't dislike them) because I grew up with rescue dogs. I haven't recover yet from the death of my precious little lab mix that I had to leave behind (with my parents) when I had to move out at sixteen. He missed me terribly and I miss him to this day. My love for cats started when I met Évangéline in a provincial park. I used to travel almost an hour to be with her, feed her and spend the entire day with her. She was lonely and we both delighted in seeing each other. My heart shattered in a million pieces when I found out that she dies alone on a cold concrete floor. I wanted to take her home but I was not allowed. I had to share that story about my precious little Évangéline which was not as fortunate as your two cats. Thank you for sharing as I didn't know if you had any pets.
ReplyDeleteHi Yvonne - what a shame you couldn't take Évangéline home with you to live her life in comfort and love. My husband and I also thought we were dog people, but ended up with a kitten somewhere along the way and she won our hearts. Since then we've slowly morphed into cat people because they're so easy to care for and nothing beats a cat sitting in your lap purring - very good for the soul. :)
DeleteAnother month in the books with reflection on your delights. Delightful. One of my delights - a week at home after 4 days in a downtown city condo helping a friend postop. This morning's rush hour - a herd of deer passed through the yard.
ReplyDeleteThose sound like exactly the sort of delights I look for Mona. The sanctuary of being in your own home again - nothing is more delightful than appreciating what you have after an absence. But also such a kind thing to do for your friend - it reflects your heart. And a herd of deer wandering through your yard would be amazing! We see the occasional kangaroo hop past our front yard and that always gives me a smile.
DeleteHi Leanne - I also try to focus on the small delights in life. Your Albany story is a great reminder of how lucky we can be! And those cats! I can relate to them. We don't have cats now. But we used to have; once as many as 4. They truly bring so much comfort. It's lovely to see how much joy your furry friends bring you. Thanks for sharing your March delights!
ReplyDeleteHi Pradeep - thanks for stopping by and good luck with the AtoZ Challenge that is going to be taking up a lot of your time over the next few weeks. I'll be popping over for a visit to keep up to date with all your posts.
DeleteWay back at the beginning of my retirement I bought a coffee mug that said "Find Joy in Each Day". Joy was my WOTY that year. But I still use that mug every morning and it does remind me to look for those moments... of joy or delight. And it has helped, even in the chaotic mess I'm in these days. Also, I love that picture of your cats!
ReplyDeleteHi Pat - it's funny how a simple reminder can make such a difference to how we tackle life. Remembering to look for those little glimmers can brighten a really tough day - keep using that cup and reminding yourself that the chaos will pass and joy will return in a big way - it's just time and perserverance (easy for me to say!)
DeleteLovely post Leanne, just delightful all round!
ReplyDeleteThanks Deb - I like having to look back for a few lovely things to share - it helps reinforce my mind in that direction x
DeleteSuch a great quote about small delights!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mandy - I'm loving all the quotes about delight that find their way to me - and getting to share them is an added bonus.
DeleteBeing truly happy is all about relishing the small delights, isn't it Leanne? I love that picture of your cute cats together. So sweet.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed Christie - I find that the more I focus on those small glimmers of delight, the more they show themselves to me. x
DeleteSuch a delight to read this...sorry! Not. I love how you take what makes the world around you fit how you are going these days. A wonderful quality all round Leanne. Thanks too for your love and care. Denyse x
ReplyDeleteHi Denyse - I think we both know how important it is to look for those little delights and acknowledge them - it's so good for our mental and emotional health. x
DeleteGlad to hear you missed that storm and had all the delight of a tranquil trip. The small delights are so precious, YES. That cup of coffee you mentioned. I delight in it each morning as I write in my journal early enough to be all by myself and enjoy the quiet, a delight. We have 2 dogs who constantly delight with their presence. Thank You for prompting me to realize all this.
ReplyDeleteHi Judith - I think our little fur children remind us of unconditional love and how simple it is to be their "person". And yes, that first coffee each morning is just so delightful isn't it? I always look forward to putting the kettle on when I get back from my morning walk.
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