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How to Find Bliss

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Rincon_&_Martia_&_AppleMy dog, Rincon, loves these warm, late-summer evenings because he can usually tease me into going outside after dinner and playing his favorite game: "Apple".

It's the simplest game ever and a total hoot. 

It starts when I pick an apple from the tree, bite off a piece, and throw it across the yard. Then Rincon tears after it.

While he's gobbling up that piece, I take a quick bite for myself.

Then I throw the next piece to the other side of the yard and
Rincon is a streak of Labrador/Golden Retriever lightning
flashing in that direction.

And so the game goes. I get roughly every-other bite while Rincon zig zags his way across the yard chasing down his share. After one or two apples the game is over. Rincon is bright-eyed and beaming. I am, too.

The funny thing is that I hardly ever start out wanting to play this game. I'm tired. I don't feel like going outside tonight. I have a blog to write.

So if I don't really want to play Apple,
why does it always turn out to be a boatload of fun?

For starters, everyone knows that a dog's enthusiasm is infectious.

(I have to admit that if someone was tossing cream puffs and mini-cupcakes around the yard, I'd be out there night after night sprinting like an Olympian.)

But here's the real thing:
There is nothing happening but beauty and fun.

It's the simple stuff. The apple is juicy, the grass is green, the sky is sunset-y. A dog running is gorgeous and fluid, and the dog you love  running is over-the-moon beautiful.

For 10 minutes my whole world is the game of Apple
and the tiny backyard oasis that is the stadium for it.

While we are playing Apple, I am never thinking any further than the next bite.

That's bliss. The quiet kind that's
easy to overlook or not make time for.

This weekend be on the lookout for YOUR game of Apple: something simple and brief and beautiful that brings you quiet bliss.

Whatever it is, I promise you it won't be able to compete with the hubbub in your life for your attention, so don't make it.

Watch for it. But gently, the way you watch
for the subtlest colors of the sunset to change.

And then please tell me what it is. I would love to know. Share your answer in the comment box below.

6 Comments

  1. Sue Paananen

    To be honest, my game of apple is to, well, be at my Apple. My MacBook Pro, that is. How do I use it? Let me count the ways… Of course, I enjoy Facebook. Then there’s youtube videos, photoshop, and countless of other things. But seriously, if I were to think of something non-techie, then I suppose for now, it might be watching shows with my kids.

    Reply
    • Martia Nelson

      Perfect example, Sue, that our bliss is personal. We can find it in anything. Whether it’s an apple or an Apple, it’s all about what lights us up.

      Reply
  2. Nancy Tierney

    Oh, how I love this phrase: While we are playing Apple, I am never thinking any further than the next bite.

    That sums it up right there.

    My cat Molly comes into my office in the early afternoon and meows at me. This means, it’s time to play Bouche. Which is a cat’s version of fetch. I don’t want to. I’m push. I’ve got my eyes locked on my computer screen. I’m in the middle of a thought, an earth-shaking, life-changing thought, surely.

    But she is irresistible. So, I stand up, and we play Bouche for just a few minutes, and remember what’s really important and precious about my life.

    Reply
    • Martia Nelson

      Nancy, that sums it up, “what’s really important and precious.” And what exactly is Bouche? Is it one of those toys on a stick or string? I just googled it and couldn’t find it. My kitty would want me to find out. You know how they are… “See? Nancy plays Bouche with her cat. How come we don’t ever do that?”

      Reply
  3. Maribel Jimenez

    Martia, What a great reminder to experience bliss regularly and it can be that simple! Thanks for sharing! I experience bliss just playing outside with my kids while enjoying a sunset 😉

    Reply
  4. Martia Nelson

    Mirabel, That’s a fun kind of bliss! Thanks for touching base and sharing that.

    Reply

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