A few of my favorite things for dark winter days #MondayBlogs #Motivation

I’m not much for raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens for that matter, but I have a few favorite things to keep me sane. I’m not worried about dogs biting or bees stinging, but I can always use a reminder of my favorite things when I’m feeling sad. Especially about now. Short days in which the sun often doesn’t make an appearance and long, dark nights when there’s no glühwein in sight. Oh yeah, I could definitely use some favorite things right now.

Rain on my window. I love listening to the sound of rain falling against my window – especially the skylights – as I lay in bed. I usually strongly dislike rain, especially when the dog thinks a wet day is the perfect time for a long hike. But when I’m snuggled up in bed and know there’s zero chance of me coming home drenching wet from it? In that case, I just lay there and enjoy the sound of Mother Nature.

The smell of the forest. Despite living smack dab in the middle of a city, I’m only a block away from a forest. Even though I can often hear cars whizzing by as I walk my dog, it’s like a hidden paradise opens up once you cross that busy road and get on a trail. Heck, even the dog is allowed to run free. (Leash laws are not a joke in a country where you can get 90 Euro fine for letting your dog roam free.)

Greeting from my dog. My dog is a mix between a beagle and some other breed that has really long legs. When it comes to greeting me after I’ve been gone from home, whether it’s been five minutes or five hours, the beagle part of his heritage comes shining through. He bellows and howls in excitement unsure whether he should run down the stairs and jump on me or rush me up the stairs to the treat closet. His enthusiasm never fails to bring a smile to my grumpy face.

The smell of a new book. This is one of the reasons I fought buying a kindle for so long. The smell and feel of a new (even if it’s just new to me) book is beyond fabulous. It even beats the smell of markers, which I will admit I still sniff. And now that I do most of my reading on the kindle, the new book smell is even more precious. Expert tip: I’ve yet to find a book store that won’t allow me to indulge in my ever-so-slight sniffing obsession.

 

 

The smell of freshly brewed coffee. Even when I didn’t like to drink coffee, I loved the smell of it brewing. Of course, now that my life depends on the liquid, the smell is god-like. And that first cup in the morning? Not much beats that.

 

 

 

How about you? What are a few of your simple pleasures?