Simple Pleasures

By | 5th August 2004

Today illustrated to me some of the joys of the simple things in life. It also illustrated bureaucracy at it’s most irritating, but I’m trying not to dwell on that.

Today is my birthday. I spent the morning at the Job Centre being told I didn’t qualify for any support. Harrumph.

This afternoon, Hannah and I went for a picnic in the park. It was warm and sunny and nice. Then we went on the boating lake and chased ducks in a catamaran canoe. I was hoping the attendant would call out “come in no. 6, your time is up” like in the old days, but they didn’t.

All through the boating, there was the distant sound of thunder rumbling away. As soon as we got out, it started to rain. Then it rained some more. Then it starting falling out of the skies like nothing I’ve ever seen. There was lightning flashing and thunder crashing around us. We stood under a shelter and just…watched. It was fantastic.

It wasn’t cold, it was just very, very wet. I really enjoyed just standing there enjoying nature letting itself be known. After some time, it didn’t seem to be getting any lighter so we hoofed it through the ankle deep standing water to the car getting absolutely soaked in the process.

One of the best birthdays I’ve had, I think. I’m now sitting eating chocolate cake and listening to Neil Young and trying not to think about jobs for a bit.

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