My calendar is opened to June but, quite literally as well as emotionally, it has already been a long, hot summer. Our temperature topped out at 120 degrees day before yesterday and, no matter how dry the air, 120 degrees is intolerable within a very short period of time. In addition, the vagaries of the current political campaign, as well as the horrors produced by misguided fanatics with instant access to guns, continue to dominate our news. I ignore the newspapers and turn off the television, but there is still no place to run nor hide.
This morning, in an effort to find a little positivity in my day, I began searching the internet for something--anything--that might bring relief to this dark state of affairs. As is my wont, I began a search of quotes under the general heading of "joy," but quickly realized that joy was too boisterous for the subject at hand. I moved down a notch to "happiness." "Happiness" seemed more appropriate and offered the possibility of success. And this effort, in a nutshell, is how Iris Murdoch came into my life. I had always heard of Murdoch, but was surprised to realize I'd never read any of her writings.
Among the list of quotes on "goodreads.com" was this: "One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats...and if some of these can be inexpensive and quickly procured, so much the better." This gem was credited to one of Murdoch's later novels, "The Sea, The Sea."
I must admit that I'm a fan of continuous small treats. For example, I am, at this exact moment while the outside temp is pegged at 109 degrees, happily sipping an exceptionally good cup of hot chocolate, topped with a perfect, sticky marshmallow which is slowly contributing just the right amount of sugary sweetness to this tasty concoction. For thirty minutes now it has been a continuous small treat.
Whereas, continuous treats, for some, may begin and end with food, I decided to extend the concept to my next favorite thing--reading. I do love to read but, for some reason I still don't understand, plopping down to read makes me feel guilty. I'm constantly fighting the thought that I should be up and doing something productive. Productive, I say! For example...dusting the shelves (even the highest ones); vacuuming the floor; organizing the desk drawers; cleaning the produce drawers of the refrigerator. Ugh. So...whenever I schedule and complete one of these little productivity spurts, I find a soft seat, put my feet up and read for that exact same length of time. I don't know if that's really a continuous treat, or simply a way to salve my conscience but, quirky as it may be, I'm sticking with it.
Speaking of treats, not continuous this time, I got a nice little e-mail from Amazon yesterday telling me they had credited my account for $28.64 as a settlement in the lawsuit against Apple, dating back to Apple's entry into the e-book business when prices jumped up overnight. I love Apple, but I'm still ticked with them about their part in destroying the $9.99 best-sellers. The $28.64 helps.
So, please join me in the quest for inexpensive continuous treats. I have a feeling they exist everywhere, we're just not looking hard enough. I know I missed one a few hours ago--a rare cool early morning on our patio. I won't be so careless again.
I love the idea of indulging in small treats to help us cope with the onslaught of bad news we are facing at the moment. And I admire Iris. In fact, I saw a movie about her several years ago (entitled 'Iris'). It told the story about how that brilliant writer eventually succumbed to Alzheimer's—not a good ending, but it did illuminate her life. Thanks for reminding me about her!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Diane. I'm planning to read one of Iris' books--do you have a recommendation?
ReplyDeleteShe has written at least 30 books. I'd start with her earliest works—I studied her books on Sartre, two of her earliest. She would be in libraries, I would think, and certainly on Kindle, so you need not make a big investment. The movie, by the way, was a tear jerker!
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