The Solace of Simple Tasks

The Ragtag Daily Prompt this morning is SIMPLE PLEASURES

Almost all of us can relate to feeling this pleasure in simple things. My morning coffee, for instance: a simple pleasure for both aroma and taste. For some bloggers doing the Daily Prompt is one of life’s little pleasures, for some it may be losing themselves in a storybook. Sharing thoughts with friends who understand you, doing no-brainer tasks that bring positive results — like cleaning off the kitchen counter or organizing a closet, for example. Drawing or painting a picture.

Come to think of it, most simple pleasures are earned, aren’t they? Yesterday I noticed that my phone battery was down to 15% and I intended to plug it in. However, I forgot so I haven’t the pleasure of a working phone this morning. You don’t reap what you don’t sow, and all that. 🙂

I find simple pleasure in laying out and sewing together squares of fabric. A few ladies in our Sewing Circle spend their time cutting 7″x7″ squares and others sew these squares together to make blanket tops. At Sewing Circle some ladies sandwich these tops together with batting and a plain fabric back, and these are tied together to make blankets. I brought some squares home from Sewing on Tuesday and laid out a 11 X 13 grid — a “Trip Around the World” pattern, if you’re familiar with quilts. Yesterday I began sewing the squares together.

I used the word SOLACE in my title not only because I feel a pleasant sense of accomplishment when the end product looks nice, but it’s a comfort to focus on something so easy. I can let the world’s woes drift away and just concentrate on getting my seams straight, blocks in the right order in their rows, rows together in the right order to make the pattern come out. It also gives a perfect peaceful time to pray, to talk to my Creator, and contemplate His design for our lives.

According to Merriam-Webster, SOLACE is an upbeat word: to give someone comfort, to ease a sorrow or hurt, to bring cheer, to amuse. It comes from the Latin verb solari, meaning “to console” which is the parent of our CONSOLE. Solace describes the alleviation of grief or anxiety — something we all need at times. Have you received or given someone any SOLACE lately?