MONDAY MUSINGS: The Joy Of Savoring Life

Come on in and sit a spell.

Savor: property of a substance that can be identified by the senses. To take pleasure in. To enhance or enrich 

December day in Missouri

The last couple of weeks we’ve had some fabulous mild weather and a lot of sunny days. It’s been warm enough in the middle of the day to be outside in long sleeves. I turn off the heat until about an hour before sundown. Temps drop quickly as the sun sets. Friday was one of those days where it was in the upper 50’s, lots of sunshine—stiff breeze though, so a jacket was necessary.

I savor these December days because I know our winter snow usually hits us in January and February.

Today the scene was wonderful around the homestead. The birds were gossiping around the feeders, horses frolicking and kicking their heels in the pasture. Fed them some apples and got lots of soft nickers and rumbles of appreciation. Me Sassy darlin’ gave me hugs—that’s her head over my shoulder contentedly munching her apple and leaning on me. Apple kisses. J

Beautiful but ugh!

I know come January I’ll be seeing more of this:

I think this year has taught me some lessons on savoring life. The little moments that makes lasting memories. Sometimes we get so caught up in chasing the big things we forget that it’s the little things that really are important and add contentment to the soul.

This year I want to savor things. Let them soak into my soul. I want to concentrate on those things that are important—good health, family, and friends.

I would like to get rid of guilt. Instead of zeroing in on all the things I can't do or should have done; I’m looking at what I have accomplished. There will always be those things I can beat myself for not doing. But what’s the point? All you can do is the best you can do on any given day—that changes daily. Guilt tends to put me into the negative and accomplishments move me into the positive—a much better place to be both mentally and physically.

I’m also not beating myself up over my creative endeavors either with the ranch or my writing. I used to be able to sit down and write and the words just flowed—thousands at a time. In the last eighteen months there have been days I’m lucky to be able to verbally string together a sentence or two without stuttering. My body has been warring against an invasion and it’s wrapped up in that function and not extras. Writing is hit and miss. I might write two days in a row and skip three. I might write well for a half hour or an hour before the words stop. I’ve decided to stop comparing myself of today to what I was able to do two years ago. That was then, this is now. It will change again, but until it does I’m celebrating what I can do.

Welcoming the sunrise with the wind
in my hair

For me, this is the year of savoring. Of tasting life. I’m taking pleasure in the sunshine, the wind in my hair, watching the antics of my animals at play. Watching my garden grow. Seeing another sunrise.

• What are you going to savor this year?