Enjoying the Quotidian

During this COVID time, at least until vaccinations are widespread, I follow public health recommendations and am less likely to leave my home. Many things I loved doing—visiting friends and family, eating at restaurants, going to the theater—have all become less frequent or even impossible. And being retired, I am not working from home. But I now find that there are things I enjoy doing that I never paid much attention to before. These are generally unremarkable tasks, considered quotidian. (What a lovely word for something that means ordinary).

In the past—when I was busy with children, work, husband, family, dogs, etc., —many of the activities I did were quickly done and forgotten. But I have decided to take notice and fully enjoy the ordinary. And I find they use all my senses.

These activities range from simple pleasures, like putting on sweatpants when I know I am staying home. Easy on and off, soft to the touch and with pockets for tissues. What a pleasure. And as a bonus they conceal the COVID weight I am gaining.  So comfy.

I have never enjoyed preparing elaborate meals, but now I find that I can happily anticipate making even simple dishes. Before going to sleep at night I sometimes look forward to a breakfast I especially like- eggs over easy with a muffin and jam. Mmmm. I can almost taste and smell the eggs cooking as I fall asleep.

I have an arthurium plant on my dining table that was a Mother’s day gift last year, that continues to grow new leaves and, more slowly, new beautiful red flowers. I eagerly look at it every morning to see the new growth. The bright and shiny new leaves and flowers stand up so straight and proud, almost as if they are eager to see me too.

And there is much pleasure from my Google Nest. I love that I just say OK Google and she is ready to answer any question at any time. I can ask about a clue for a crossword puzzle, the weather, or anything I wonder about based on the day’s news or a passing thought. I even ask her to play music—lately this has been Oldies or Jazz—often stirring pleasant memories of the past.

And there’s another ordinary activity I now enjoy more. I have the time to read the newspaper in the morning. It took a while before I realized I could linger over the newspaper and think about what I am reading, and didn’t need to rush to dress and start the day’s tasks. It feels like a gift of time.

I also enjoy contacting friends or relatives I haven’t seen in a while, usually through a text message or phone call. Their response sometimes indicates they have been thinking about reaching out to me too. Sharing updates about our lives, and even learning that they too are struggling with the COVID constraints, nourishes me. Why didn’t I contact them more often before? Another gift of time.

Having dinner with my husband is something I have been doing for over forty years. It was often in a rush, so that I could quickly clean-up, spend time with our children, or finish a work task. I no longer have to rush through dinner time. We can enjoy a more leisurely meal, often with wine, talking about the day or future plans. I also take pleasure in postponing the clean-up.     

When I was working, I made weekly to-do lists of my work tasks. Now, I like making a list every morning of the day’s ordinary tasks and plan their estimated times. This includes daily things like writing in my journal and reading, or episodic tasks like ordering a gift for an upcoming birthday, doing an errand in a local store, or calling a friend. Enjoyment from creating these lists comes in several ways- I like to organize my day, I often get pleasure from completing the task, and I always get pleasure from crossing it off my list as the day goes on. And there’s one more gain- for many of the tasks I can decide that I want to do something else, and I simply postpone or cross it off undone. I like being in charge of what I do.

Playing word games are my secret guilty pleasure. Doing crossword puzzles, playing on- line Words with Friends and Scrabble– I enjoy them all. These activities are not on my to-do list, I suppose that’s related to the guilt. I usually do them throughout the day, in-between the listed tasks, sort of like intermezzos between courses.  They provide me with a brief sense of satisfaction (especially when I do well) before I go /or don’t go, to a next task on my list.

I have decided that while there continue to be major and sometimes extraordinary things that I do—like write a story for publication, spend the day at a museum, or provide work-related consultations with former colleagues— I will also notice and enjoy the quotidian pleasures.