July 2nd, 2026
The Simplest of Pleasure: One Good Thing That Is
“Redeem
The time. Redeem
The unread vision in the highest dream…”
T. S. Eliot (Poet & Essayist; September 26th, 1888 to January 4th, 1965)
“Some days are shaped by simple pleasures, others are redeemed by them.”
“An Irish proverb tells us ‘Better one good thing that is, rather than two good things that were, or three good things that might never come to pass.’ Today there was no need to glance wistfully at the past or project anxiously into the future because the present was fully lived and simply abundant. Today was rich with one good thing after another until it literally overflowed with pleasure.”
“i know the Lord will help–but help me Lord, until You help.”
Hasidic Prayer
“The reality was that the day would be as hard as I made it. Or as pleasant. There was nothing I could do about my circumstances but accept them. ‘It’s always my choice,’ I reminded myself. Not necessarily to like whatever life throws me, but to try to catch the ball. After all, success in life is not how well we execute Plan A; it’s how smoothly we cope with Plan B. And for most of us, that’s 99 percent of the time.”
“I considered Plan B: redeem the day with simple pleasures, some good things to look forward to. At first, learning to smoothly shift gears to plan B takes some attitude adjustment, but, like driving a car, it becomes an automatic reflex with practice.”
“The day stretched before mee–not as I had hoped. But not, thank heaven, beyond redemption.”
“Chocolate vanilla choose. I choose my life as it unfolds to be thankful and in gratitude to the journey as a whole vs. as bunch of one-offs.”
–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 239 to 240 of 501.
I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.
