What a great essay. You wrote about air conditioning and it reminded me of a lesson on maximizing pleasure:
The ideal human temperature is 76° Fahrenheit, but maximum human pleasure is not staying at a constant 76°, it’s arriving at 76°. It’s being cold and warming up by a fire, or being hot and then cooling down with AC.
Really enjoyed this. It resonated with me especially deeply because this summer, for the first time that I can remember, I experienced summer as a genuinely hot season. It normally doesn't affect me much - for some reason this year it did. And even as my T-shirts became darkened with sweat in my car, and I lay in bed at night sweating, I remember thinking, there's something very pleasant and memorable about how alive I feel right now. I'm living in the real world.
Sometimes when I am taking a shower, I think about the fact that no amount of wealth or money or luxury could make a hot shower any nicer. A girl on tiktok said she asked her grandmother once why she liked doing the dishes, and she said "I like the feeling of the warm water on my hands." I'm trying to set that into my permanent memory, I just want to be more like that grandmother if I can. Thanks for this piece- I really liked the bit about looking for something beautiful in the rasp of someone's voice.
I don’t recall subscribing to this Substack. But getting this post in my inbox was a pleasant surprise. I’m finishing a new book called Smile When You Poop, all about being grateful even when life stinks.
And a big part of it is all about NOTICING the everyday pleasures (I call helpers) we tend to overlook.
This post is a beautiful argument for doing just that. 🙌🏿
I work outdoors in a forestry-adjacent industry, and though manual labor in the rain or snow or heat is brutal at times, when I speak to my office working family members I am always thankful that I experience the cycles of the earth and am subject to them. It grants me great satisfaction and makes me feel closer to my ancestors.
Our furnace broke this past week, right in the middle of our first cold spell. It's been delightful to discover the feeling of warming up the bed sheets, noticing the house get warmer in sunlight, and feeling the heat of tea as I drink it first thing in the morning. We'll still be getting it fixed, but also maybe leaving the thermostat lower and deliberately enjoying other uncomfortable delights.
Simon, I love this one. Just last week we ate the last tomato off our vines and it was terrific, and I’m already looking forward to the first ripe tomato next year. Now I’ll find some good winter squash to savor.
I could go on and on about how different it is where I live but that's not the point. You are talking about how to live in the real moment and experience it with all senses and be grateful for the miracles...that is valuable everywhere. Thank you.
Hi Miguel, I think in terms of living in closed temperate-controlled homes or using public transport or the ability to grow their own food...but though life may be different the points you make about appreciating the moment are still valuable of course... 🙏
What a treat!! Probably one of my favourite in the wave of criticism of a life of conveniences. I dislike the hot, humid Summers in Asia (where I live) the most, but I suddenly felt like turning off the air-con and enjoying it somehow. Bookmarked and shared around.
I wish you published more often, but to use your own analogy, the cycle of deprivation makes reading your work all the more pleasurable.
What a great essay. You wrote about air conditioning and it reminded me of a lesson on maximizing pleasure:
The ideal human temperature is 76° Fahrenheit, but maximum human pleasure is not staying at a constant 76°, it’s arriving at 76°. It’s being cold and warming up by a fire, or being hot and then cooling down with AC.
Really enjoyed this. It resonated with me especially deeply because this summer, for the first time that I can remember, I experienced summer as a genuinely hot season. It normally doesn't affect me much - for some reason this year it did. And even as my T-shirts became darkened with sweat in my car, and I lay in bed at night sweating, I remember thinking, there's something very pleasant and memorable about how alive I feel right now. I'm living in the real world.
Sometimes when I am taking a shower, I think about the fact that no amount of wealth or money or luxury could make a hot shower any nicer. A girl on tiktok said she asked her grandmother once why she liked doing the dishes, and she said "I like the feeling of the warm water on my hands." I'm trying to set that into my permanent memory, I just want to be more like that grandmother if I can. Thanks for this piece- I really liked the bit about looking for something beautiful in the rasp of someone's voice.
I don’t recall subscribing to this Substack. But getting this post in my inbox was a pleasant surprise. I’m finishing a new book called Smile When You Poop, all about being grateful even when life stinks.
And a big part of it is all about NOTICING the everyday pleasures (I call helpers) we tend to overlook.
This post is a beautiful argument for doing just that. 🙌🏿
If you liked this, you’ll love the Art of Eating by MFK Fisher. She grabs your hand and plunges into the sensualities of life’s little pleasures
funny enough I just finished The Measure of Her Powers: An MFK Fisher Reader, earlier this year. It is a favorite book of my wife.
I work outdoors in a forestry-adjacent industry, and though manual labor in the rain or snow or heat is brutal at times, when I speak to my office working family members I am always thankful that I experience the cycles of the earth and am subject to them. It grants me great satisfaction and makes me feel closer to my ancestors.
Our furnace broke this past week, right in the middle of our first cold spell. It's been delightful to discover the feeling of warming up the bed sheets, noticing the house get warmer in sunlight, and feeling the heat of tea as I drink it first thing in the morning. We'll still be getting it fixed, but also maybe leaving the thermostat lower and deliberately enjoying other uncomfortable delights.
Opening with a Didion quote is an instant subscribe from me and then you drop this: “Some pleasures cannot be substituted.” Delectable!!!!
Simon, I love this one. Just last week we ate the last tomato off our vines and it was terrific, and I’m already looking forward to the first ripe tomato next year. Now I’ll find some good winter squash to savor.
Been a while, glad this is out! 😊 reading now
the most impressive part of this essay was not reading the word taste once
hahahahaha
I could go on and on about how different it is where I live but that's not the point. You are talking about how to live in the real moment and experience it with all senses and be grateful for the miracles...that is valuable everywhere. Thank you.
How is it different?
Hi Miguel, I think in terms of living in closed temperate-controlled homes or using public transport or the ability to grow their own food...but though life may be different the points you make about appreciating the moment are still valuable of course... 🙏
What a treat!! Probably one of my favourite in the wave of criticism of a life of conveniences. I dislike the hot, humid Summers in Asia (where I live) the most, but I suddenly felt like turning off the air-con and enjoying it somehow. Bookmarked and shared around.
The only thing that surpasses the beauty of the idea, is the beauty of the writing. Truly remarkable.
I love this.