Sometimes You Just Need Toast

Being the uber-geek couple that we are, Lenny and I really had nothing planned (for once) two Saturdays ago. On the docket was nothing but lunching on leftover spaghetti on our living room couch, watching the special edition DVD of the only anime series that I like. The microwave whirred with our tasty dining option and I decided to put the toaster to good use. As the slice of bread browned in the cradle – I grabbed some butter from the refrigerator. My taste buds were already salivating at the delicious thought of wheat toast and butter. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had it or why I craved it at that moment.

My face lit up as I buttered up the still warm piece of bread. Hurrying, so as to catch the butter before it soaked into the nooks and crannies of the slice, I tore off a chunk with my teeth and chewed elatedly. OMG…it was the best thing since…um…sliced bread! Lenny watched curiously as I devoured the piece joyously. Confronted with his inquisitive stare, I swallowed what was in my mouth.

“What? Sometimes you just need toast.”

I popped the last piece of crusty, buttery goodness into my mouth with a huge grin plastered on my face. It was all so easy. Bread and butter with a little heat had me grinning from ear to ear. My beloved husband shook his head and laughed.

“Honey that is both the deepest and most inane thing I’ve heard today.”

Funny isn’t it? It is the simplest things in life that makes one happy. The silliest part is that enjoying the simplest pleasures in life has become a cliché thrown around by talking heads and self-help wonks so often that we just glaze over when we hear it. We are constantly fed that we should sweat the small stuff or that little things mean a lot. But as a society, we’re numb to it.

However the best part is that it’s all still true, if we just put it to practice.

News update: The world is a hard place to live. We have conflict, illness, and political shenanigans that make the Earth a crazy place to deal with. And your average person, while empowered to make change, faces an uphill battle just existing. Change involves some great effort on all our parts. With these kinds of day to day worries, there’s got to be a release valve somewhere that doesn’t involve the same amount of planning or thought that it takes to launch a battle cruiser.

Sometimes, you just need toast.

How many times have you just wanted to check you brain at the door and vegetate? Maybe you set aside The Economist and pick-up a copy of People. Or perhaps you just want to plug in your head phones and listen to your iPod on a beach somewhere until the batteries run out. When the mental temperature gets high, all you need is a good sunset.

I probably was three million times happier than I had a right to be about a crispy slice of bread. But who gives a damn after a long work week of sidestepping career landmines (And believe me…I was one cranky bitch last week)!? But who knew how simple it was going to be to change my mood? It made me happy and it was enough at that moment and at that time.

It’s weird…I envision my utterance about the happiness toast brings easily becoming a battle cry for societal change. Buttons, t-shirts, bumper stickers on everything! Oh, but who am I kidding? I’ll just be happy if someone reads this post and steals my line to make their friends laugh. See – it really is the simple things!

So, while you’re working through the rat race this week – do try and remember that you can find some relaxation and satisfaction in little things. Find what your toast is and dive into it. It might be the best thing you do all week.