Sweet Pleasures of Life

This nutella filled sweet post made me aware of an everyday blogging marathon being encouraged! And the theme for May is "Sweet"! Lovely. I know it's a waste of internet space if I'm let to blog everyday (let alone even blog, but it's too late now... no point crying over spilled milk). But I'm justified to one sweet post, after a sweet satisfaction of completing this week's deadlines.

Someone, somewhere at some point made a philosophical observation, which I’m paraphrasing—“Most of the material pleasures in life are like sugar added to a cup of milk. The sugar makes the milk sweet and tasty just as some materialistic pleasures and comforts make life pleasing. But if one starts to pile up spoons of sugar into the milk, the cloying sweetness makes the milk so unbearable to drink anymore. Just so, we must moderate the extent to which materialistic pleasures are pursued. Too much only leaves us with a nauseating sense of revulsion, not satiation. Unfortunately humans need to reach this state of satiated-revulsion for wisdom to dawn in.”

Quite true. There has to be a balance of both “bitter and sweet” in life to appreciate sweetness all the more. Now regarding those tempting and alluring materialistic pleasures — I have always wondered where my “sinful” pleasure-pursuits lay. What are those materialistic comforts/pleasures/aspects that I indulge in without ever feeling I could be satiated? What are those that I have either discarded after having gone a full cycle, or have never had a fascination towards? And finally what are my sweet and simple pleasures, untainted by any materialism?

The knowledge of any/all of this is of no use to anybody, so this is just a waste of internet space. Yet I figured if those introspection came down on paper/blog I could get more clarity about myself. Everybody needs money, food, clothes, shelter for survival… well most us, barring some brave ascetics who live in the wild. So I’m not counting those as material pursuits, unless one’s need for them changes to higher levels of temptation. 

The materialistic pleasures/pursuits that I don’t think I can ever be satiated with:
* Sleeping on a lush bed with the most comfortable pillows and warm cuddly comforter, the temperature just so, the place dark enough to lull me to sleep, yet with a warm stream of light to provide that soothing glow. Maybe add one of those heavenly water trickling mini-fountains imitating a gurgling stream (or the birds of the rain forest), or best yet have the rain drops patter on the windows. Bliss…. I don’t think I will ever be repulsed with a plush looking bed and pillow set…ever!
* Earrings — But not gold, or diamond or anything with an expensive gem on it. I hate those. Not because I’m noble, but just because my taste happens to be little too “unrefined” to crave for artificial, colored glass beads hanging off a low grade metal.

* One day I hope to own a fancy aquarium with lovely plants, beautiful pebbles and exotic fish. No amount of fish and plants in it can satiate me enough. Along the same lines, I have decided to start amassing fish-collectibles. Any souvenir/object that looks like a fish and I can afford, will be mine. I plan to have a cabinet full by the time I leave this planet. How noble.

The materialistic aspects that I have been satiated with:

I used to be fascinated with make-up sets as a child…probably because I was banished from even going near one. I’m sure most girls have gone through this period of longing for a lipstick. There was a certain fascination associated with looking at those alluring colors, rich texture and glistening package that words couldn’t do justice. I was always told that wearing lip color will make my lips black (mom pointed to Black and White Saroja Devi on TV with her beautifully puckered black lips). Yet I have craved and longed for one, and I finally got to when I was let loose (or rather when I ran away) to be on my own. I was numbed with the amount of choices I had and went crazy with the decision I had to make among the 60 different options. I tore myself and finally picked one, came home tried it on and rubbed it off, then tried it on a little different and then rubbed it off, until I realized I was not bold enough to wear it and go out, for I looked completely artificial. So I went back to the store to try something subtle, something shiny, and something that tasted like berries. Armed with one of each kind I eagerly went home, tried each and hesitantly wore one the next day. I went to the restroom within 10 mins and rubbed it off not being able to stand the self-consciousness. So there, I have issues. I never wear lip color in a professional setting, but the whole craving and temptation has satiated. I no longer ogle at those charismatic brands on magazines and TV. I view all things related to make-up with a detached eye.

Simple pleasures I enjoy:
* Blowing soap bubbles. Sitting with a soapy liquid and blower and blowing colorful bubbles that dance around in the breeze
* Staring inside a tulip and marveling how nature knew just which combination of colors should be painted even on the insides of flowers.
* Waking up at 6 on a Saturday morning and realizing I have three more hours of sleeping
* Watching a baby trying to catch a moving toy
* The feeling when a child not only smiles but also says she misses me
* The feeling when an animal seems to miss me
* Being driven around on a rainy day while I stare out at the accentuated greens on the lawns and trees against the purple sky
* Watching the first sprout of leaf on a potted plant grow
* Watching the second batch of flowers blossom from the plant I thought I wouldn’t be capable of growing
* The smell of the first successfully baked cake, that didn’t burn, fall off the tray or turn sour

I’ll stop with that. I don’t know how many of these “simple” pleasures are really as simple and so very untainted by materialism. For instance, if I didn’t have an oven, I couldn’t bake (I’m not smart enough to make fire and survive). I'm not sure how much materialistic pleasure is just taken for granted as a necessity versus an obsessive luxury. A heater and laptop have become necessities, no longer materialistic pleasure -possessions. And I didn't know where to squeeze in that gluttonous craving for potato chips... a materialistic pleasure versus plain gluttony? But that was an interesting introspection.

What are your sweet pleasure inducing possessions? What are those that you gave up or are trying to? How would you define simple pleasures? :)