By JANET HART LEONARD
From the Heart
“I like old bookstores, the smell of coffee brewing, rainy day naps, farmhouse porches and sunsets.
“I like the simple things that remind me that life doesn’t have to be complicated to be beautiful.”
– Brooke Hampton
I like walks to the park, meandering through antique stores and Sunday evening rides with no destination.
I like not having an agenda, not having a sales quota and not setting an alarm.
I like walking away from a discussion that raises my blood pressure. I like saying no when I’m expected to say yes and feeling no guilt. I like giving my opinion without worrying if I will be judged.
I like giving gifts … just because, paying it forward, and showing up, unexpectedly, at a friend’s house with a chocolate pie.
I like binge watching Netflix, working on a jigsaw puzzle for eight hours and reading a library book after finding a new favorite author.
I like walking into a room and not worrying about what people are thinking. I like not feeling like I have to please everyone.
I like discovering new recipes, getting to know the people at Banters Meat Market, and using my new KitchenAid mixer.
I like looking for the signs of spring in my yard, mowing my yard, and redecorating my yard in the spring with new flowers.
I like sitting at our kitchen table in the morning, sipping a cup of Highlander Grogg coffee, and watching the birds come for breakfast at our birdfeeder.
I’ve made a few discoveries in the past year. I’ve discovered the beauty of the simple, the unexpected, and how my senses have been awakened as I have slowed down.
Life does not have to have an agenda with my “to dos” crossed off the list to feel like I have accomplished something. At the end of the day my most important accomplishment is finding I am truly “living” my life.
It’s not complicated. It’s just beautiful.