Pleasure Happens

Ok, let's get right to it. When was the last time you felt pleasure? And I mean any kind of pleasure. I have a friend who gave me one of the most pleasure filled tips I have ever received in my life. And I am going to share it with you. Are you ready? 800 thread count sheets!!! That's right. She said life is too short to sleep between cheap sheets. Let me tell you 800 thread count sheets aren't cheap but I took her advice to heart and waited for a sale, used my trusty coupons and now I know what she was talking about. Oh my goodness. They are a pleasure. And what you choose to do between them is your business - hopefully a pleasurable business.

So often we are focused on getting things done, checking off our list, moving through the mass of scheduling problems that we forget an age old adage. All work and no play makes Jill a dull (and sick, and late, and forgetful, and unproductive) gal.

Gena Rowlands has written an absolutely outrageous book called Mama Gena's Pleasure School. In this book she makes a VERY strong case for the power of pleasure in our lives. It is not an indulgence. It is a necessity. She gives many varied examples of the types of pleasure that will enhance your life and your productivity.

However, you don't have to even buy the book or 800 thread count sheets to get started. You can begin simply by accepting that your body needs pleasure. The pleasure that comes from rest, either a nap or 7-8 hours each night. The pleasure that comes from a good laugh. The pleasure that comes from a playful moment in a meeting or with a child or significant other. The pleasure that comes from watching a sunrise, or a deer walking through your back yard or the leaves falling or simply marveling at how your lungs rest between an inhale and exhale.

Pleasure happens - all around us. It is there for our benefit. Grab it. Let it feed your body and soul. Don't be like a friend who recently said to me "I've been so unproductive today I might as well have been sleeping." Perhaps had they been enjoying the pleasure of some sleep they would have been far more productive.