The great butter debate

We are a two butter household. Mine is left out in a covered butter dish at room temperature, my husband's butter is cold and rock hard inside the refrigerator.  I like salted butter, he likes unsalted.

He has changed my preference for syrups. I used to buy the awful artificial maple flavored corn syrup. He made his case and pure maple syrup is so much better. But I haven't been able to convince him on the butter debate. He was brought up in an anxiety ridden family that thought any dairy could spoil if left out for more than 5 minutes, while I was brought up in a more laid back household where something had to grow legs and start to crawl before we would start to worry.  I would explain to my husband over and over how we always left the butter out and never got sick. Yes- butter can go rancid if left out long enough, but being raised by two parents who both grew up on farms- we went through the butter quickly. I also would point out how impossible it is to spread cold butter on anything without destroying it. At my in-law's house you have to settle for smooshed dinner rolls with a cold pat of butter stuck in the middle. But that doesn't matter to him. 10 years of marriage and he still keeps his butter in the frig.  He hasn't put two and two together and figured out what butter I use to make his grilled cheese sandwiches.  Maybe I'll win if I make him make the grilled cheese sandwiches using his butter. 

Simple pleasures - not a simple task

We all go through the motions of life day after day- work, school, eating, cleaning, running errands, and so on.  Hopefully all the menial things we do everyday help provide us with the time, money, and means to do the things we love. If you're lucky, some of those menial things actually bring you some joy.

I feel fortunate that I have the life that affords me the luxury of noticing the small stuff.  I don't mean affords as in monetarily, quite the opposite. I think the wealthy have too many big things to think about to fully enjoy and appreciate what they have.  There is some old line I heard once (maybe from a song - who knows)- "the more you have, the more you have to worry about".

Sometimes I have to remind myself to stop and smell the roses. To stop, notice, really notice, and appreciate the simple pleasures of life.  These are some of just a few of my simple pleasures:

*The smell of a hot cup of tea as the steam tingles my nose.
*A warm comfy pair of socks.
*Picking vegetables I've grown myself.
*Walking through the woods and listening to the leaves.
*Seeing fresh snow sparkle like glitter in the early morning sun.
*Tasting the salt of a crunchy dill pickle
*The smell of fresh lilacs in the spring.
*Watching an old movie with my husband.
*Looking at the colorful birds as they visit my feeders.
*Feeling the warm sun on my face, even in the dead of winter.
*Petting my dog as she cuddles with me on the couch.

It's not an easy task to fully appreciate the simple things, especially in today's fast paced, tech heavy, material driven world. One simple way to do it is by keeping a gratitude journal.  Everyday write down 3 things you are grateful for. It doesn't sound difficult but doing so every day without constantly repeating yourself is hard. Knowing you have to write down 3 things at the end of the day makes you notice more - it makes you look deeper. There is a line in the book The Color Purple - "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple and don't notice".  I don't know about that, but I do know from my own observations that the happiest people (no matter what their circumstances) seem to be the ones who take pleasure in the simple things in life. And I'm grateful that I'm observant enough to follow their example.