Simple Pleasures

I. Strawberries
Yes. I know it is not yet strawberry season. But please don't burst my bubble, and let me just pretend for a moment that they're coming into season right now...

II. Open windows
I am such a huge fan of natural light (As my college roommates will know...I annoyed one endlessly our freshman year because I consistently slept with the shade open to let sunlight into the room in the morning. But that sunlight shone right in her face and woke her up at dawn many a morning. Oops. I'm still apologizing for that one.) But when natural light and fresh air and natural warmth can all be combined? There is nothing better. Friends, there is nothing better than an open window in the spring.

III. Stationary
I've grown tired of tearing pages out of my notebooks to write letters on. So with a gift card I forgot I had (yay for cleaning; it's like going on a treasure hunt!) I bought some cream paper and envelopes for letter writing this week.

IV. Picnics in parks with friends
A fleece blanket on warm grass. Salad and ham sandwiches and mango. Overlooking the Thames, a nearby bridge, a British flag blowing majestically. Reading and chatting and laughing. (Sunburns.) SUCH a pleasant afternoon.

V. Colorful dresses and cardigans again
Greens, and pinks, and blues--oh my!

VI. Good books
I'm reading Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson right now, and it is making me so happy. Its descriptions of days-gone-by inspire me to live a simpler life. And I can't get past the impression that it is simply a British version of my beloved Little House on the Prairie series...

VII. Good music
See yesterday's post...

VIII. Travel plans
One month from today, I'll be flying home for my sister's graduation, and I am SO EXCITED.

IX. Lesson planning
Yes, this is a pleasure haha. After dreaming of being a teacher for so long, I really enjoy even the things others who have been at it longer than I have find mundane. Give me some lessons to plan, papers to mark, or reports to write. I'll be smiling!! Plus, it's especially fun at the moment because I am planning the upcoming term and thinking about how the next couple of months as a whole will go.

X. Time
I have never been particularly good at taking vacation time. I used to drive my mother crazy during the summer because I wanted to go back to school so badly. (I know; I was an odd child.) And to be entirely honest, this Easter break has been a bit of a struggle. I'm not used to having such long breaks in the middle of the school year! But when I started feeling lazy and guilty for not doing more work, it occurred to me that I shouldn't be unhappy with a lack of work to do. God has given me time to take a break from everything and just enjoy life. It is unlikely that I will find myself with so much spare time again anytime soon, and instead of wishing it away, I realized that God probably wanted me to enjoy the season of life in which I find myself.

After that realization, the break has gotten much better. I've taken the time to walk around London, read, sleep, write, and yes--blog. I've never blogged so frequently before, and I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't have this time off right now. It has been incredibly fulfilling and will be something I try to keep up (though not quite as frequently) when I go back to work next week.