Apr 18 2025 - The Joy of Little Things

 

The New York Times has a tantalizing article headline on tiny treats you can enjoy every day.  But without a paid subscription I have no access.  So let's go find some of our own.  My own version of the idea is that when you create your experiences every day to include things that give you "joy" and pleasure, then a more fulfilling life will be yours.   But that's not what I am finding.  The motivation in the articles is being frugal and financially responsible. The little everyday habits that make people "feel rich" without breaking the bank.  Here's one: "Using good ingredients. I am frugal, but I prioritize good ingredients. I always have heavy whipping cream on hand. Real butter. Good quality meat in the freezer. I buy good spices/herbs. I try to buy quality products and ingredients. I am not a 'luxury' person per se. I like just living a simple life. But little things like that are nice." Did you consider that whipping cream and butter are luxuries?  I consider them something to use sparingly, given the fat content, but they don't seem luxuries to me. So here are more ideas from the various articles: "opening a window to listen to the rain pouring" "using herbs from my perennial herb gardens" "clean kitchen with nice smelling candle lit" "giving the car a small makeover" "getting an electric  blanket" "fresh flowers" "pretty note cards" "perfumed soaps" I don't know - don't these things start to seem coy and cute? On one list was "write down three things you're grateful for each day".   I don't know what I was thinking on this topic.  Our social life is now complicated.  I think that the longing to be rich is very real for most people.  Being frugal is just another aspect of having money and wealth, and implicit is spending money. And I expect it might be more subliminal. Surveys show that being wealthy finished last in surveys on what people valued most.  Having enough free time to do things one wanted, being successful in a career and similar things were more important.  Don't these take money or produce money?  It seems to me that money plays out in endless ways in our lives. So I'll just have to wait to see what the New York Times Style writers come up with, when the paper comes my way later in the week.

Isn't this an excellent name for a telescope?

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Jan 12 2023 - Frustrated Traveller

 

Do you know how many articles there are on frustrated travellers?  I should check out whether it is in the google top 20.   "Frustrated travellers turned to Twitter when winter storm... "Frustrated travellers still searching for baggage "Travellers frustrated with no communication "Travellers frustrated with continued delays "Cancelled, Delayed, Grounded, Law for the Frustrated Air ... Go to Shutterstock and get 22,000 pictures of frustrated travellers Go to Vectorstock and get "Angry frustrated travellers with baggage wait..." What does google have to say about frustrated travellers?  In the top 100, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines hit 9,100,000 searches.  Compare that to number 1 youtube which had 185,000,000 searches.  Did you know that there is an Airline Pain Index? The latest year is 2019, so a bit behind  to be of help in 2023.    The survey makes everything seem so routine. What is interesting is that the "category" of the issue fails to capture  the essential story/issue.  Here are a few of  the worst airline experiences of 2022 from this article HERE.   Qantas booked a 13-month-old baby on a separate flight than her parents from Europe to Thailand. The family was stuck in Rome for 12 days until the next available flight. They spent over 20 hours on the phone to Qantas' customer helpline. Air Canada revoked an employee's flying privileges after her daughter complained about poor customer service when boarding a flight with the airline. American Airlines told a passenger to collect his bag himself, despite it being found 4,000 miles away in London Heathrow airport. Air Canada sent a passenger's cats from Toronto to San Francisco without him – and then told him to go pick them up. The airline will no longer allow pets to travel in the baggage compartment until September 12, 2022. I found this picture on a vacation in Portland. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca