Life is busy and it’s easy to get swept up in the complications of our daily lives. Rural Wit and Wisdom(Fulcrum Publishing, 2012) by Jerry Apps is a collection of time-honored values, an important one of which is to slow down and appreciate the little things because the little things make everything else more enjoyable. This excerpt is taken from Chapter 8, “The Little Things.”
As our daily lives become increasingly more complicated, relish the little things–the quiet pleasures that make each day a little more exciting and worthwhile. Some of the little things may take you back to an earlier day, when your life may have been a bit less difficult. Savor little things to provide some balance to the present-day, loud, cluttered, and increasingly electronic world.
Some little things
• Appreciating a warm floor to put your feet on when the temperature outside is below zero. Remember the days of your youth when you woke up in an unheated bedroom and the floor was as cold as the ice on a frozen lake.
• Discovering that a new recipe you tried turned out better than you expected.
• When shopping for something you need, you discover it is on sale.
• Enjoying a fountain pen for writing. There is something about the flow of ink on paper that adds to the experience of writing, beyond the message you are trying to convey.
• Enjoying a good cup of coffee in the morning that gives you the gumption to face the day, no matter how many problems and challenges lie in wait.
• Enjoying hearing a teenager admit that you, as a parent, are right about something.
• Having freshly ground pepper for every meal. Nothing improves the taste of good food more. Avoid salt.
• Having the opportunity to read a book without interruption.
• Hearing a word of praise for a job well done.
Read more: For more time-honored values from the heartland check out Rural Wit and Wisdom: Community, Rural Wit and Wisdom: Farmer’s Work and Rural Wit and Wisdom: Farming.
This excerpt has been reprinted with permission from Rural Wit and Wisdom, published by Fulcrum Publishing, 2012.
For many years, best-selling author Jerry Apps has written and collected observations and advice about country living, such as “Love thy neighbor but make sure your fences are in good order” and “It’s not going to get done if you don’t start doing it.” Jerry and his wife live in Madison, Wisconsin.
