One’s best success comes after their greatest disappointments. ~ Henry Ward Beecher
Disappointments come throughout our life. Just the other day I ordered a grilled vegetarian sandwich with sweet potato and Portobello mushrooms. I thought I’d be adventurous and try something new. I’ve since discovered sweet potatoes don’t belong in a sandwich unless you enjoy the taste of spackling paste with mushrooms. “Why didn’t I order the pasta bowl? I know I like that,” I lamented.
Recently, I learned one of my friends enjoys skinny dipping, explaining how liberating it feels to swim in unrefined freedom. This caused me to think about the simple pleasures of life and the satisfaction they bring. That said, here’s a list of mine.
1. Receiving a SpongeBob MailPants postcard in the mail.
Imagine my delight at finding the giant postcard with the bright yellow, toothy, sponge face of SpongeBob SquarePants staring up at me soon after plucking it out of my mailbox. On the card’s other side my 10-year-old nephew Gary thanked me for money I had sent him in lieu of his school fundraiser (which I had missed) and his congratulations on my becoming an author. Nothing could make my day more special than this.
“What would’ja like for Father’s Day?” I asked Jerry and braced myself for his answer. Please be something I can afford. Each Father’s Day I do something for Jerry because he’s a great dad to our son. The clock ticked while Jerry gave my question serious thought.
“I’d like you to pay my two bills,” he said. Jerry has a side operation that brings in a small income which he uses to fund his passions. For his passions, he has invoices to pay. His request caught me off-guard. But I agreed once I learned his bills were within the budget.
“Want to go to Wales?” I asked Jerry a few months ago. “Sure,” he said in the same way he might say, “Sure, I’ll go to the library or post office.” I began researching tours and cruises and castles. I called Princess cruise lines twice to see if we could get a discount as (ahem) “their loyal repeat customers.”
I’ve had Wales on my must-see list from an early age. As young as four or five, people began asking how to pronounce my name. Their second question always followed. “What nationality is that?” When I explained Bronwyn is a Welsh name, many would often say, “Ohhh, you must go to Wales one day. It’s beee-uuuu-teeee-ful there.”
