Monday, January 9, 2012

A Life of Pleasures

Let's talk about pleasure. Am I wildly immature in that when I hear the word pleasure I instantly go to wrinkled sheets and a dark room? Yes? I figured as much . . . Anyway, as you, and I, know there are many types of pleasure. Some of them do entail the aforementioned scene, some of them are dirty in reference to your calorie intake, some are guilty, but oh so fabulous, and some are uninhibitedly pure and innocent in their nature. Everyone's pleasures are different, but I'm going to share some of mine. . . in a categorical fashion.

Guilty Pleasures

*The Real Housewives of . . . (Not limited to Beverly Hills and Orange County, but excluding Atlanta) These bitches are ridiculous, out of control, and delicious. I know there are some other housewife lovers out there. . . can I get a hells yea?!
*Deep Fried Pickles . . . From just about anywhere, but I especially love them from Holly's Cafe and Carryout.
*Ranch. For salad dressing, for deep fried pickles, for french fries (especially for Red Robin's french fries) I love me some ranch, people.
*Full veg out sessions of watching, and re watching, full seasons of Will & Grace, Sex & the City, and The Big Bang Theory. I can quote scenes in their entirety and I still tip toe on that fine line of laughing so hard I'm crying and laughing so hard I'm pissing my pants.
*Those precious little pints of Ben & Jerry's Karamel Sutra ice cream. That Ben and that Jerry. . . those bastards know their ice cream.
*Marilyn Duff's cheese ball . . . it's salty, it's cream cheese, and it goes on a cracker. Need I say more?
*The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Good grief, sweet baby Jesus.
*Marilyn Duff's cheesy potatoes. . . not just regular joe schmo cheesy taters, people. . . she makes them regularly but then she crunches frosted flakes in butter on top. . . crunchy and cheesy and sweet? That's the fucking trifecta, folks.
*McDonald's fountain Coke. I know we live in Ohio and this is a predominately "Pepsi" area, but you Pepsi lovers can kiss my grits. Coke is where it's at. And nobody does fountain Coke like McDs. Sweet, syrupy deliciousness sipped through a straw that also gives me a dosage of required caffeine? #Winning.
*Well written, sexy, sex scenes in literature. I am not a reader of romance novels, but I always hope there will be some steamy sheet time in the books I read. A girl has her vices, right?
*Wayne. This requires no explanation.
*Tequila. Specifically Patron. . . with course salt and a lime. Bliss.
*John Krasinski. . . in anything . . . or nothing! OH! Bazinga!

Day to Day Pleasures

*Reading, and since Christmas, my Nook. It is love.
*Making people smile, whether because I am acting a damn fool or genuinely being kind.
*Photographs- of my family, old friends, new friends, of people I don't know and places I've never been.
*Sending snail mail and receiving snail mail. This tradition is so under used it devastates me. There is nothing like receiving surprises in the mail. . . even if it's a card with a hand written message. That's special.
*A mind blowing conversation. . . be it over dinner, over the phone, or in a vulnerable situation. Nothing moves me like a conversation that just is.
*Text message conversations that are so incredibly ridiculous they have to be woven into a story the world will read someday. . . you people know who you are.
*Using the word 'Fuck.' It's just liberating.
*Knowing my words touch people.
*My brother asking me how my day is.
*Our wood burning stove.
*People genuinely checking in on you because they want to know how you are.
*Being invited out. . . by anyone- a girlfriend, a guy friend, my brother. . . anyone.
*Eating dinner out at sit down restaurants. I love it, I love it, I love it.
*My janky, disgusting, falling to pieces, Kelly green Chuck Taylor's with the peace sign laces. . . someone please buy me a new pair before I end up barefoot on campus because I refuse to throw these away.

Incredibly Innocent, Heart Stopping Pleasures

*Braden giggling because I am tickling him.
*Anytime Disney re-releases a movie from the vault. I am currently counting down the days for 3D Beauty and the Beast and Finding Nemo.
*My mom calling me 'baby' or 'Sophie' or 'Coco'
*A giant 'X' in the sky and/or that illusive sun dog.
*Hearing Free Bird by Lynard Skynard
*Anyone calling me 'Stephi' . . . I love it and most people stopped when I hit puberty
*Watching Belle dance and sing like she's the next Taylor Swift (this is a giant possibility. . . the girl has star quality)
*Getting asked a gazillion questions by Holly's kids.
*Pretending like I sound like Kelly Clarkson, look like Mila Kunis, and dance like Shakira in my car driving down the interstate.
*Imagining my wedding dress, my wedding ring, and most importantly- the guy I'll be walking towards.
*Talking to anyone in my family- they are all fabulous in genius-ly unique ways.
*Taking naps.
*Looking in the mirror and being on the verge of liking what I see.
*Being proud of who I am, who I am from, and where I am going.

Some pleasures are life changing and some are small moments we will remember forever, but they all change us or shape us in same way. I really believe that life is designed so that we can live each day unearthing new pleasures and re living familiar ones. The best ones are when you don't expect to find pleasure, but there is it- creeping up to kiss you on the cheek when you least expect it.

I hope as you are reading this you are practicing something that brings you pleasure, thinking about a way in which you will find a new pleasure, or making a list of the things that bring you pleasure- for all sorts of reasons, in all sorts of ways.
Life is a ride for the senses . . . make sure it's worthy of pleasure.

What brings you pleasure?

-Stephi D.

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