abby did a post including 26 simple things she enjoys in life—from A to Z. she got the idea from dorry. i’m a copycat. i loved this idea.
- A – air conditioning. especially on days where it hits 100*.
- B – brunch. this is by far my favorite meal. sundays are best for brunching, but i wish i could brunch every single day.
- C – coffee. more specifically, the ritual of drinking lots of coffee with marshall on the weekend.
- D – dogs. namely penny and randy.. but i love them all.
- E – exercise. i am so grateful i am capable to exercise.
- F – family time. i am lucky to be super close with my fun family!
- G – grocery shopping. you have no idea how much i love it. it’s kind of like therapy for me…
- H – hugs. seriously, who doesn’t like a hug? and hugs are free!
- I – ICE CREAM. this is my favorite food ever. so simple, so perfect.
- J – jam. specifically momma b’s homemade raspberry jam. it brings me SO much joy. yes, i find joy in jam.
- K – knives. my good kitchen knives. sounds silly, but you try using good knives and then go back to using your old ones. your tune will quickly change.
- L – laughing. man—doesn’t a really good laugh just feel so good?
- M – music. it’s funny how a certain song can totally change your mood. music is a powerful thing.
- N – nature. i love camping because i am able to truly let the beauty of nature swallow me whole. and then it spits me back out into the world of technology… but it’s really nice to enjoy nature—and JUST nature—every once in awhile.
- O – owls. i just like them.
- P – peaches. they are my very favorite fruit and there is nothing like biting into a perfectly ripe peach.
- Q – quietness. sometimes sitting in silence is exactly what i need. i should make a point to do this more often.
- R – rain. i love rainy days for some reason. i also really like how it smells outside during and after a rain storm.
- S – sleep. i love love love love sleep.
- T – traveling. i don’t care where i am going.. i could go somewhere 50 miles away or 5,000 miles away.. just take me somewhere.
- U – unfastening my bra after work. assuming i wore one. i hate bras. taking mine off is seriously such a joy to me.
- V – vibrams. seriously, i never realized how much i’d love such a goofy looking shoe. they’ve eliminated my knee and ankle pain. i’m hooked.
- W – water. this is my favorite drink. i love chugging a glass of water when i am REAL thirsty. it’s so satisfying! and it’s free! bonus.
- X – X-tra time. okay, i am a cheater. but waking up in the morning and realizing you have extra time to sleep is freaking awesome.
- Y – yawning. it feels so good. almost as good as a good laugh or a satisfying sneeze.
- Z – zoning out. sometimes it’s nice to just stare at the wall for awhile and not think about a single thing. try it, you’ll see.
haha.. those last three made me kinda sleepy just thinking about them—guess i must be hitting my afternoon wall!
one more simple pleasure? helping. we all have the capability to help others. it typically does not cost us any money—we just have to invest a little thought and maybe some time into helping others. in case you are wondering what brought this thought on—let me tell you.
yesterday my boss came into the office holding a brand new baby bunny. he was days old—maybe less! who knows. the bunny hadn’t even opened his eyes yet. he had been out in the hot, hot heat and was breathing fast. he was overheating!
we decided to take the bunny to a nearby animal shelter.
the shelter took the bunny in and said they’d bottle feed him and take care of him. it made me happy—i was glad we were able to help this poor little bunny who would have otherwise died in the heat.
i know it’s a roundabout way to turn my thoughts to helping others, but that’s what happened. i thought about the many people in my life who i love and made a mental list of one way i could help each and every one of them.
everyone is struggling with something in their life. some people have big problems, others have small ones. some of us have both big ones AND small ones. and maybe some medium-sized ones. but the fact of the matter is we all need help. we do. don’t think you are above needing help, you’re not. nobody is. and you also aren’t above giving someone help.
it’s human nature to NOT ask for help. we are prideful. we don’t like to admit we need help and we sure as shit will always try to get through all of life’s trials on our own if we can. so instead of waiting for people you see struggling to ask you for help, step to the plate and help them without them asking.
if you can reach out to someone and help them in some way, you need to. you definitely should. a helping hand, a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. you never know—your small helpful efforts could really go a long way in someone’s eyes. (plus, it’ll make you AND the person you helped feel all warm and fuzzy inside. it’s a beautiful thing.)
deep ramble over.. carry on with your food and fitness blog reading.
Qs~
1. what are your initials? give me your simple things for those letters.
2. when was the last time you helped someone? big or small.
xo. janetha g.
Next Comments →
1) This is hard. I have weird initials!
S – Salad. Love, Love, Love me some salad this time of year. I am so blessed to have a Dad that grows some serious veggies. I am drowning in beets and zucchini right now. There is nothing better than a salad with home grown tomatoes. NOTHING.
U – The uplifting I get every time I talk to my best friend. Besties for 30 years. No one knows me like her. Going to the beach together next week. AWESOME.
W – Weather. Love summer. Love to sweat. Love flip flops. Love staring at my tomato plants. Love summer storms. Love.it.all.
2) I help my hubby every day. I get up at 6am when the alarm goes off to make him coffee and make him lunch. I don’t do it for thank you’s. I do it because I want to make sure my guy has a nutritious meal. Seems little but that is how I hug him every day.
So thought number 1- we are SO similar and I think if I did this, my ABCs would look pretty similar. i mean come on, WHO DOESN’T LOVE coffee?! :)
2- Can I have that bunny? Like he seriously is making my heart melt.
3- K: Kindness. Simple yet amazing.
M: Music! Right there with you on this one. I mean after all, it IS what I got my degree in. (Shhh…don’t tell anyone I don’t work in that industry anymore!)
A: Apples! One of my favorite fruits ever. We used to go apple picking as kids and there is nothing like eating an apple right off the tree.
L: Love. I love so many people and I don’t know what I’d do without love in my life.
A: Almonds. Raw. Yummy.
K: Knowledge. I like to learn.
I helped my boyfriend by encouraging him to run today :)
Expect a link back from me soon, totally doing the ABCs. Love stuff like that. So nice of you to help the little bunny out.. Poor little guy. I’m glad he will get the attention and help he needs to recover.
Oh and also:
K – karma. I believe in it.
G – gratitude. We need to give it to stay happy and appreciative of life.
I think this is my first time commenting, but it made my night to see you help that bunny! Sometimes I can’t help thinking about how helpless animals can be in the people world. I know there’s the natural circle of life and all, but they can’t evolve to handle all the man-made predators! (e.g. cars, lawnmowers, etc.)
T: Toast. It’s amazing what a little direct heat can do to a piece of otherwise boring bread.
S: Showers. Specifically a hot shower when you’re cold. That is the best.
S: Stemware? I think wine glasses are so elegant.
Also, I was totally going to mention that ‘quietness’ is not a word, and that it should be ‘quietude’ or just ‘quiet’, but you’re right. It is a word.
M: Music – HUGE part of my life! (Especially since my hubby is a musician/producer/engineer) Our life revolves around all things music!
J: Joy – to me, Joy is an action, a choice and a feeling. You must choose to notice joy in everyday things and that helps bring it to other people :)
P: Photos – i love photos! I love documenting the little world I live in by taking lots of photos of all my friends and family :)
Helping someone: Sunday we went to Country Jam. On the way home, my friend started throwing up and couldn’t stop (think it was food poisoning). We finally made it to Price around 3am and got her an IV in the hospital. I downed a 5hour at 4:15 to try and get her back home. We ended up getting back to Salt Lake at 6:30am but I am so glad we stopped and got her help!
That post rain smell…I totally hear ya on that one. Nothing else like it!
That adorable baby bunny reminds me of the robin’s nest we have in the bush by our front door. From the moment I first saw the nest, I’ve been watching over it, well… like a hawk. We had three eggs, we now have one baby bird & are waiting for the other two to hatch. I’ve been using our front door minimally, going out of my way to use the back door. Tonight when we were watering our lawn, I made sure the sprinkler didn’t hit the bush with the nest. I know rain is a natural occurrence (though not around here lately) but I can’t bear the idea of that little birdy drowning in the water we put there! I’m always on my hubby’s case, “Don’t go too close to the bush or the momma might abandon her nest/eggs/baby!”
I’ve already typed too much to bother with my initials… ;)
C = Cardio. Haha. Running!!! WODs… jumping rope!
A = Amor. I think in Spanglish.
K = Kemps = ice cream! A day without ice cream is like a day without sunshine.
Notice that my initials ALMOST spell CAKE! :) I think one of the main ways I helped people today in my office is being positive and optimistic.
wow! I am so proud of you for saving that bunny :) I AM SO PROUD OF YOU <3 that's the sweetest thing ever. You have such a big and caring heart <3 I LOVE YOU!
My initials are M.D.!!
M – mornings
D – dancing in the kitchen
:)
E-electricity, seriously.
B-butter. God I love butter.
C-cinema. Not do much watching but doing. Acting is my lover.
As for good things for others, I volunteer at a no kill cat shelter a couple times a month.
I love the bunny story!
Love this. You are adorable! Also, the bunny story melted my heart.
My initials:
C-children. I have a degree in child and youth care, they just make me happy. I couldn’t imagine working with any other population
D- dancing! I was a competitive dancer until I busted my hip. I miss it so much.
Love this post! That poor little bunny was the sweetest and most precious! How lucky that your boss found him and you were able to save him.
Yaara: yogurt–love it- my absolute fave is thick and tart Fage Total Greek–but I also love frozen yogurt( aka–the sweet, not so healthy stuff)–and my fave flavors are milk chocolate, mounds, and cinnamon delight.
Zofia: so hard to think of something with Z–but perhaps Zanyness and eccentricity. I am quite an eccentric person and tend to go by the beat of my own drummer–and I love others crazy, quirky ways too!
Leve: Lemons and lemon pepper–I’m addicted to the stuff–I put it on my salads; fish; and chicken.
As for helping others–honestly I feel like lately I’ve been living a very small and self-centered life. I need to branch out of myself more and start reaching out and giving to others!! Thanks for the reminder :)
T – Toilet. We were all thinking it. Someone had to say it.
Momma B’s got some abs! NICE!
Hell yes to unfastening a bra- it gives me so much joy every single day haha! My initials are K & T so:
K: Kindness…cheesy but seeing others help out or helping others my self gives me such a high
T: Training..more specifically weight training! Seeing my body progress and lift weights I never thought possible is so rewarding.
Thank you so much for the shout out! :) Made my day! I will try and think of a couple of different things for my initials.
A=almond butter from Whole Foods. I just tried the grind it yourself kind this week. So flippin’ good. The gritty texture is great!
L= listening to thunderstorms. I love just laying on the deck (under an overhang) and listening to the rain fall.
S=singing. I absolutely love singing in the shower, at church, in the car. Wherever. As long as no one is watching.
The last time I helped someone was my neighbor. She was walking up to the doors with a couple cases of beer so I held the door open for her and unlocked the next set of doors so she wouldn’t have to put it down!
This is a great post. Oh… but the bunny. I wanted to cry. I’m glad you guys brought it to the animal shelter! Here’s my initials + simple things:
P – puppies. I have such a thing for dogs!
R – riding. Bike, that is! I love my bicycle.
F – family. I have the most wonderful husband and parents. BLESSED.
What a lovely post Janetha! I loved all your simple pleasures and the bunny story. You are so right…we need to help each other out!!! During the stressful exam period I helped my friends out with subjects that I understood and in return they were able to help me when I got stuck. It’s nothing huge, but it’s nice knowing you have some support!!!
So my initials are SEAK. Yes I have FOUR names….i think my parents got a bit carried away haha…My simple pleasures are:
S – Smiling. It really is the most attractive feature of a person. And smiling at someone else can make their day!
E – Eggs. Never used to like them. Only started eating them last year…and now I’m hooked!
A – Apple. No not the food. I love apple products…and I’m so excited because this week I’m finally getting an iPhone!
K – Kung-Fu Panda….I just love animated movies in general actually :)
Um, I’m so stealing this and doing it on my blog haha…I hope you and the other ladies don’t mind ;). That bunny! Oh my goodness, it’s so precious. I’m glad you guys were able to help him! Thank you for the inspiration to push myself to help more people, more often! Hope you have a great day Janetha!
I love all your simple things. It’s crazy the things we don’t really think about but that are so important and wonderful to us. You know I will be doing this sometime too now, don’t you? Love these things as well!
Janetha, while I enjoyed reading your A to Z list, my favorite part of this post came after Z: helping. I needed to read that today. I have a hard time asking for help, and I need it right now. Thank you.
Thank YOU for pointing out we need to ask when we need it.
Oh my goodness. The baby bunny is almost painfully adorable. I wouldn’t know what to do with such a fragile creature: I’d be too scared even to hold him/her because I’d be so worried about hurting it. I am glad to know there really are good people out there who actually care enough about animals to make sure they’re okay.
Initials:
J – Jam? I have to watch my sugar levels though, so it would probably be better if I didn’t love this one so much.
Z – Why did my middle name have to begin with ‘Z’? I can’t very well say Zumba since I’d rather flay all of my own skin off than take one of those classes (I did try it…never, ever again) How about ‘Zs’ because, being an insomniac, those are precious!
R- Rammstein. German band – loved them since I was eleven when everyone else was listening to NSync and other such trash. Or running, given that it’s, you know, my entire reason to live.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah I AM DYING at the “i’d rather flay all of my own skin off” comment. same here.
Oh my gosh that baby bunny! I hope he survives thanks to you!
Oh, I hope that baby bunny survives!
S-Spring. It’s my favorite season because the daffodils and tulips bloom!
D-Donuts. So bad, but man, a old fashioned sour cream donut=bliss!
K-Keister. It’s nice having something “soft” to sit on… ;) ;)
S – Sushi! Yum!
M – Music – my favorite thing in the world.
F – Family!
I love helping, to a fault. I help people TOO much. If I helped myself as much as I help a random stranger on the street, I’d be a stronger, healthier person.
s-smiling – even if i’m cranky or in a bad mood, pasting a smile on my face and trying to make the best of it can make a big difference. fake it til you make it?
r-reading – curling up with a book is one of my favorite relaxing pastimes! it’s been a while since i’ve been able to squeeze in some good reading though. :(
z-zoo’s. it’s been so long since i’ve been to a zoo, but my friends and used to love going to the zoo near college in st. louis! it’s so much fun. :)
haha i love your “U” one – couldn’t agree more with you! :)
my initials:
A – almond butter
L – LOVE
W – water… drinking it & being in it. i just love water.
I love this post! with you on bc & d!! That bunny is so darn cute. OMGOSH!
1. what are your initials? give me your simple things for those letters.
E-eyes! I love seeing how different/gorgeous peoples eyes are
L-Lynn (lin)- an important name in my family. My middle name, my cousins first name, my aunt’s middle name, a part of Kaylin’s first name!
S-Starbucks :)
2. when was the last time you helped someone? big or small.
I made a batch of granola for my BIL yesterday whose studying for his medical school exams
T – tempeh. I need to eat this more!
J – Jack Black. I just find him super funny and adorable.
C – cats, particularly our adorable two, a brother and sister named Mal and Inara (after the TV show Firefly, another one of my fave things).
I love to help. A woman in line behind me at the grocery last weekend was in a motorized cart and had a lot of things in her basket. I asked if she needed help, first with a large bag of corn on the cob that looked too heavy for her to lift from her low seat to the conveyor belt, then helped her unload the rest of her small items as well. It made me happy.
Great post! It is nice to take time to appreciate the simple, little things in life.
A: Avocados – I have been loving these lately on salads or with eggs.
M: Mornings – This is my favorite time of day; I enjoy the quiet, the sun coming up, sipping coffee, and watching The Today Show.
R: Running – After completing a marathon a few weeks ago, I took a week and a half off from doing anything besides walking. I have since run a few times, just casually, and it feels good.
(I did this on my phone and it wouldn’t submit, sorry if it submits it twice)
This may be one of your all time best posts! I LOVE your list, I LOVE that you helped that darling baby bunny :) and most of all I LOVE your deep ramblings about serving others, what a priceless lesson for us all to learn!
My initials SKHB
S….surprises! – they keep me young and well…surprised :)
K….kindnesses that are done known and unknown to me and others
H….hugs – best “free” pick me up out there (I hug strangers!)
B….beaches especially those in Costa Rica.
Again you continue to amaze me with your thoughtfulness and understanding of and for others. You have very sound mental health and that is also priceless!
The last helpful thing I did was to find an oral surgeon who will extract wisdom teeth for our Hispanic young men who are getting ready to go on missions!
I love you.
xoxo
oooh sweet little bun! thanks for helping it <3
K – kale.
D – dachshunds. (duh). ;) all dogs actually.
S – smiles. they can change an outlook, change a whole day.
helping people. I just had this conversation at the gym this morning – I am helping someone start her own blog. (ha, totally didn't intend to use that as me helping, but yeah, I suppose it is!) :D we got to talking about blogs, stats, all that stuff. I was showing her my analytics, and she said, "wow, then the people with huge comments must get hundreds of thousands of pageviews a day!" and I explained that while my views continue to rise, the comments are less and less… :( and I told her that many commenters stopped commenting when I stopped commenting on their blogs so much (unable to read, no time while taking care of Dad), and that started another conversation about the *eyeroll nuances of the blog world. I received a comment from someone the other day that I didn't even know read anymore… and THAT HELPED ME. made my day, as silly as it sounds – it was good knowing that when I do have time to blog these days, someone still appreciates it.
wow, was that a reach? :D XXO!
THAT was fantastic. I am the same. I rarely comment these days because I don’t have the time. But I am a creeper and read all my favorites still (yours included) and comment when I can. Love you, lady.
P.S. The oral surgeon will do the extraction for FREE!!! Most important point of all!
Holy Cuteness – I’ve never even seen a baby bunny before – how adorable! That’s so amazing that you were able to help him out!!
Love that wedding picture. So cute!
Aww, that bunny is so adorable and so lucky that someone with a heart of gold helped save him/her!
L-Lulu and Pippa :)
F-Food!
B-Baked goods.
Cuuuute post idea! I may be triple stealing it now :)
Mmmm coffee. I could go for (yet another) cup!
A-Apples. Boy do I love ’em!
E-Exercise. It is my drug of choice, fo’ sho’!
P-Pillow. Mine to be exact. That baby goes everywhere with me –makes me sleep ohhhh soooo good!
Love your bit about helping. It always comes back too–the more you give, the more you will receive too. It’s a great law ;)
K – Kisses. Air kisses, french kisses, quick kisses, short kisses…there’s just something magical about them. :)
B – bananas. They are seriously a magical fruit and they never get “too” bad for banana bread. :)
S- sunshine. Nothing lifts my mood faster than a sunny day. :)
Oh my goodness that bunny photo made me squeal. So teeny!
J – Jello pudding. The stovetop kind too, none of that instant crap. It was my biggest preggo craving last year.
A – Avocado. Possibly my favorite “condiment”. Looking forward to being able to eat it again.
B – Baby babbles. Lyric is such a little chatterbox. I could listen to that voice all day. (I’m sure I’ll regret saying that in about 3 yrs!)
M – mornings…weekend mornings really. I just love waking up early on the weekend and getting to work out right away and having whatever I want for breakfast because I’m not rushed! And I hate wasting the morning away!
L – (I’ll do my future initials!!) Laundry…well folding laundry. I love it. It’s quiet time downstairs to myself and I truly enjoy it. I hate switching it over from washer to dryer, but I will not let anyone else fold our clothes. It’s the one and only chore I adore! :)
We are total opposites! haha!!
Help. Yesterday the lady who is training helped me upload some state reports (part of my job will be doing state reporting for the school district where I work) and then she let me do one completely on my own and I did it right the first time! We were dancing and high-fiving! It felt GREAT.
A lot of your list could have been mine :)
L – LOVE is going to sound really corny, but it’s super important to me.
F – FOOD of all sorts. Current favourite is cheese (think there is 5 different types in my fridge right now!)
R – RAINBOWS – not necessarily the ones in the sky, but pretty coloured items organised in rainbow colour order. I just find it extremely visually pleasing
I’m currently cat sitting for two different people (three different cats), so I guess that’s helping people?!
you are amazing.
what did you name that little bunny? you should go visit him.
You are a big help to me with my GPP questions (Day 6, baby!)! And I am grateful.
And I totally love owls, too. Just love them!!!
Cute post :)
A – Angels…they are all around us
C – Cats…We just got back in the country last night and I was SO excited to see my cats
P – Photos…I love being able to look back on all my fun times. I have always wanted to be the kind of person who keeps a journal, but I’m not. At least I have tons of photos to remind me of all the cool stuff I’ve done!
Thanks for reminding me to be more helpful :)
You rock! Love this Janetha, you are so right that everyone struggles and we all refrain from asking for help. And even when people are struggling we are need help at certain points, some may seem like small struggles to others, but can actually be a huge struggle for someone else. We all differ. I think that is so wonderful you helped out that cute baby bunny! It shows how compassionate you are and that you are so caring. The bunny is too adorable, and I’m glad its safe now! And yes to the coffee! I love my daily coffee, mostly just for the ritual and routine! Its my favourite beverage I’d say
BRUNCH for the win. I also want to brunch every.single.day. Actually, I probably could seeing as I don’t have a job or anything. Adrienne would like it, no doubt.
And that sweet bunny!! I didn’t even know that is what baby bunnies looked like. What a nice little thought process that spurred, too.
really needed to hear your little deep ramble :)
we have a few different blog readers that we are helping them with their acne or other health issues, it is nice being able to help people near and far!
E – uh, eating. obviously :)
H – high fives! who doesn’t love a good high five once and awhile?!
C – cocktails on a hot summer day for sureeeee!
I picked up my boss’s daughter today and drove her home so she wouldn’t have to wait for her mom for 8 hours to come get her.
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