The strawberries are finally here! I’m such a fruit snob and always struggle with what fruits to eat over the winter months. While there are plenty of choices, this year I ate frozen blueberries with my homemade granola and yogurt. The berries were delicious and predictable. Oh, the disappointment of unripe fruit.
To keep strawberries fresh, I learned a little trick from a vendor at the farmers market. Line a rectangular tub with a paper towel. Lay the unwashed strawberries in a single layer over the bottom and cover with another paper towel. Store in the fruit/vegetable bin in the refrigerator. Mine last the entire week.
The joy of ripe strawberries! Such a simple pleasure, but lately I’ve come to believe that’s what it’s all about. Advice columnist Carolyn Hax recently wrote a column about purpose, suggesting it’s OK to not have one. She talks about the pleasure of coffee and the satisfaction of completing a chore.
These are tiny pleasures. Connecting one to another to another across a day might not feel grandly productive, but the constellation it creates is pleasant enough to behold.
I’ve been slouching toward purposelessness since I retired, but sometimes I’ve wondered whether I was moving in the right direction. Realizing others are seeking the same path helped validate my own experiences. Such a relief to realize we don’t have to beat ourselves up forever.
My purposeless life is brimming with pleasurable hobbies and satisfying activities. I made a list, which is in no particular order because that would be too purposeful.
- Golf – Practice & Play
- Cook
- Arts & Crafts
- Walk & Lift Weights
- Read
- Write
- Yard work
- Housework
- Home Maintenance & Repair
I estimated the number of hours a week ideally dedicated to these activities. It added up to exactly 40! So there you have it. Being purposeless is a full-time job.
Speaking of strawberries, the Tovolo strawberry huller is amazing! Not just a drawer gadget at my house. 🙂 check it out if you get a chance. Cheers to purposeless!
OK. I’m in. Because I don’t have enough kitchen stuff.
AAHH. A purposeless life brimming with tiny pleasures…This comes to mind, from “Real Reason” by Brian Andreas (www.storypeople.com) – There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & eat each other’s cooking & say it was good.
Yes, this is exactly where I am at. I will check out the writing you mention — thank you so much for sharing!
Purpose is overrated!! Why can’t we just appreciate each day for what it is? I love that about my retired life. I guess that is my purpose. 🥰. Great post.
Yes, I can’t believe how much happier I feel since I gave up on purpose. It even helped my golf game!