I’ve been reading a new blog lately called Zen Habits and ran across a delightful post about remembering to look at/experience life’s simple pleasures. The author writes:

A little trick I like to use to make my days much more pleasant is to find little, simple pleasures and sprinkle them throughout my day. They’re not big things, but they each simple pleasure can translate to a great day if you use them right.

The post ends with a list of 75 things that Leo, the author, regards as simple pleasures in his life. He had some great ones that I would agree are also simple pleasures for me. There are, however, a bunch that aren’t on his list that would be on mine.

So — here’s some to add, in no particular order:

• * Taking pictures with my camera
• * My wife’s chicken & noodle hot dish. YUM!
• * Climbing into bed after we just changed the sheets
• * Being greeted when I arrive home by three frantically wagging dog tails
• * Coming home to a clean house
• * The sound of waves lapping on a shoreline
• * The warm sun on my face on a cool autumn day
• A walk through the woods to enjoy the fall colors
• Getting up, turning off my alarm, and going back to sleep
• Sleeping in on a Saturday
• Making significant forward progress on a home improvement project
• Getting an email from a friend I haven’t spoken to in a long time
• Getting a phone call from a friend I haven’t spoken to in a long time
• Sending an email to a friend I haven’t spoken to in a long time
• Making a phone call to a friend I haven’t spoken to in a long time
• Watching my wife interact with all of our animals
• Playing with a new technology toy
• Listening to the sound of a radial engined airplane
• Watching airplanes — especially if I can get to an airport
• Walking the dogs and listening to my wife talk about her day at work
• Getting so engrossed in a good book that I lose track of time
• Sitting along the shoreline of Lake Superior and experiencing the lake with all of my senses
• Watching good people who are good parents interact with the children
• Having a niece or nephew grab your hand, smile, and ask you to come with them to play
• Paying off an outstanding debt
• Looking at a really good picture on Flickr
• Getting a comment on my blog or on a photo on Flickr
• Reading a book, a good magazine, or even an interesting newspaper article while sipping coffee in the morning
• Listening to the sound of fresh snow crunching beneath your feet
• Really listening to the words of a song that tell some kind of story
• Rubbing my dogs ears while they wag their tails and try to lick my face

That’s a nice start. I’ll try to add some more as I think of them. What about you? What are the simple things in your life?

–Pete