Delightful Days

If my son were reading this, he would say "Definition, please". It's something debaters ask often. Hmmm...the definition? Delightful days are those that bring great joy to you. Sometimes they are planned, other days are serendipity moments that create a lifetime of memories.

Even those moments, I have found, come about because of an atmosphere in the home. It helps a great deal to have at least one person who is looking for delightful opportunities. Some of mine have been like that. I remember one day when my daughter was in elementary school. I met her at the end of her school day and we road our bikes home, not in a direct line mind you. We were looking for Pooh tracks. I don't know if she remembers that day but I do. A delightful day brought about by a last minute decision to ride home together. I can't recall if we found Pooh that day but we did locate evidence of his having gone before us. We both knew some would say those were rabbit tracks, or squirrels, or perhaps brought about by kitties...but we knew they were made by Pooh.

While some of my delightful days have come about at the last moment, most of them required at least a little thought. There were the "loaf of bread and jug of wine days" to celebrate the following verse by Omar Khayyam:

A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread, -- and Thou
Beside me singing in the Wilderness --
Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!

Obviously I did not serve wine to children, we normally brought juice. I would shop ahead of time for French or Italian bread, cheese, juice, something for dessert, a tablecloth for the picnic bench and that which we needed for serving-plating-eating. We had a great deal of fun and it cost less than Happy Meals. I think my children enjoyed having a literary mother. We still talk about Pooh tracks and when dinner is cheese and crackers, we're having a "loaf of bread and jug of wine (juice/milk/pop)" dinner.

Some days these picnics were packed in my antique picnic basket. Often times, especially when it was just my son and I going on a nature study at the park, our picnic was in paper bags so everything could be disposed of after eating. Which left our hands free as we hiked trails, looking for that special rock, leaf, bug (yuk). My husband does not enjoy outdoor eating but even he would join us at times when he was home, especially if our lunch that day had anything to do with stopping by KFC on the way.

I did not wait for perfection in our daily environment. Some of our best memories also took place in dark days of illness, financial strains and uncertainty about the future. I believe those times were when I purposely thought about Delightful Days more often. When life is sunshine and roses, it is easier to have good days. When it is Winter and Never Christmas, one needs to put their thinking cap on and find ways to rejoice, even if it is having "something made with hamburger" again but served on our best plates with candles burning.

Most of my Delightful Days did not cost very much but there were those events that needed funds set aside in the budget. These were usually annual events; birthdays, anniversaries, a historical reenactment, a Christmas concert at the University, going to a special restaurant because it was something we "always did" at that time of year, picking out the Christmas tree at our favorite location, or other annual events. My daughter and her husband paid for us to visit New England last year. We had many Delightful Days during that time. It took financial sacrifice by them and overcoming a fear of flying by me but it was well worth it.

I've been thinking of Delightful Days lately, the coming seasons will have perfect opportunities. I need to prepare some space in the budget for a couple of special events in Autumn. Before I know it, we will be in the midst of Holiday preparations. All of these provide rich environments for Delightful Days. I think I'll prepare a pot of tea, pull out my notebook and pen, and ponder way to make memories in the next few months.