Simple Things

Yesterday, I desired to voyage out of St. Louis. I had the day off, the weather was simply gorgeous, and I wanted to cruise down the freeway in my little sportscar, the wind blowing through my hair, and the radio blasting feel-good music through my speakers. I decided on traveling to Warrenton, MO. It's fairly close, and I've never been to the the outlet mall that the tiny town is somewhat famous for. Well, the mall turned out to be less than spectacular, but I did enjoy strolling along the freshly-cemented sidewalks, window shopping in solitude. My spending money is meager, to say the least, so I had my eye out for any inexpensive treasures that caught my eye. I found lots of things for friends and family, but after two hours had yet to find anything to my liking. Then, however, I wandered into a kitchen store which specializes in tiny gadgets, cookware, and kitchen accessories. After a few minutes of admiring the clever, inventive tools, I spotted an egg slicer. I love hard-boiled eggs, and include them into the many, many, many salads I make in any given week. Perfect! So I gathered the little treasure into my hands, and went straight home to put my discovery to good use. The simplest things in the world really do bring me joy. Sometimes I feel like, "Wow- I'm excited about a freakin' egg slicer. I really need to get a life." But little moments like this make me proud to be the person that I am. Every day is an opportunity to take joy in the simple things, whether it be an egg slicer that I didn't even know I wanted, or something a little more significant. I want to really try to remember that life is not about fancy cars, big houses, or fashion labels. What's more important is to be able to see the beauty in not-so-beautiful things.