Smacked in the Face by Delight

Finding Delight in the Small Things

I’ve noticed in the last week or so my ability to be delighted has increased dramatically. I was watering and deadheading (removing faded blooms to encourage new ones) my potted roses this weekend when I suddenly noticed a small praying mantis on the bloom I had just removed.

I’m not great with bugs, but it crawled onto my finger and I was smitten! It was about one and a half inches long, so very small. (I’ve seen them as long as 4–6 inches, just not in my yard!)

I carefully replaced him on the rose bush, then continued watering. And I was filled with wonder, awe and delight at this encounter with a small, odd-looking bug, who was now waving his triangular head to bring me into focus. We hung out for about 15 minutes, then it slowly moved deeper into the rose bush to continue with its day.

Last week, my husband and I went to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch (we are on a staycation and having a great time!) We ordered our normal favorite dishes, and I decided to splurge and ask for bread along with our salad bowls.

The food was excellent as usual, but the bread had an aroma I could not get enough of. It was a simple French-style bread, but the crust smelled like it had caramel in it. And again, I was captivated by something so small, and so ordinary.

I realized then that my practice of being grateful was having an effect. I was not looking for a praying mantis, nor expecting unusually aromatic bread with my lunch, but I was present enough to notice both things. And I was willing to let delight enter the picture.

I’ve been working for several years with the knowledge that we are in a time of things coming apart so the new can emerge. Maybe I’ve finally begun to sense that the new will arrive quietly, with very little splash. Or maybe, I’ve quit resisting the ‘coming apart’ so I can NOTICE the emergence of the new.

Whatever it is, I adore the new quality of delight that has shown up lately.

If you wish to try this, just relax in the face of things. See what is new. Let new ideas or observations come up from inside of you, and let your focus be on something, however small, that you can be delighted by.

This does not take work, by the way. This is a state of being, not doing. May you be refreshed by the exhilaration of delight soon!

If this article resonated with you, you may also enjoy The Power of Pausing.