64 Simple Joys of Life to Cherish and Embrace Every Day!

Are you in need of some of life’s simple joys?

Our modern world is SO hectic. I feel as if life keeps going faster and faster, spinning me out of control. We’re expected to do more, be more, and make more money with each passing year. And yet, it seems that we’re constantly in search of something deeper, more full of joy to nourish our souls.

Sometimes it’s the simplest joys of life that can bring us back to the present moment. The most important things in life are life’s simple pleasures that make a life truly worth living.

Modern Life vs. Slow Living

There are countless blog posts on this site about New Year’s Resolutions, goals, and personal development. Improving your life and your situation is always at the forefront of everyone’s minds, but it can also be detrimental to our health and happiness if we pursue those goals without a break.

That doesn’t even take into account the detriment of social media and how glued we are to our phones.

One way I love to stay grounded and to slow life down is to look for the simple moments that bring me joy. Life’s simple pleasure, little joys… whatever you want to call them, these small moments in life are there to remind you to come back to earth.

To pause and breathe.

These little moments show you the happiness of years ago, and bring you hope that joy and love will be there in your future as well.

A Deeply Spiritual Practice

Pema Chodron, Buddhist nun, writes in her book When Things Fall Apart:

“This fundamental richness is available in each moment. The key is to relax: relax to a cloud in the sky, relax to a tiny bird with gray wings, relax to the sound of the telephone ringing. We can see the simplicity in things as they are. We can smell things, taste things, feel emotions, and have memories. … It is like the sun in that it shines on everyone without discrimination. It is like a mirror in that it is willing to reflect anything without accepting or rejecting.”

Whether it’s a long walk or a good laugh, these small things in life show you that it’s okay to not be chasing goals or material things at every second of every day. They are short and fleeting, and they help you remember to not take your life for granted.

That’s where this site, Wild Simple Joy, got its name:

I want to have the audacity in this crazy world, to enjoy my life to the fullest, embrace each moment, and live in simplicity and wild joy every day!

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How to Find Simple Joys in Life

We all have busy lives, and, especially on our bad days, the small joys of life seem few and far between. Here are three quick ways to slow yourself down to start noticing the simplest pleasures around you from moment to moment. 

These techniques will help you build that feeling of joy in your life at any time.

1. Learn to meditate

Developing a meditation practice can help you build the neural pathways for a deeper awareness of life and the things around you. It’s called neuroplasticity, and it’s the ability of our brains to rewire themselves through thoughts, emotions, and actions. It’s how habits are formed and changed.

Meditating helps you build the ability to slow down into your brain’s chemistry and wiring. It becomes easier for you to notice the little things around you that are full of joy and it allows you to practice self-love.

Related Post: Using Mala Beads for Meditation

2. Practice gratitude

Stopping to think about the things that you are grateful for each day helps remind your brain to stop whenever you are experiencing those things. So if you’re thankful that your children are healthy, you might notice more when they eat their veggies, or when they do something kind for someone else.

Practicing gratitude can also help alleviate some of the stress of moments that aren’t quite perfect, like when those same children push each other or scream or don’t eat a single bite of their dinner.

Starting a gratitude journal is a great way to notice those ordinary things that bring true joy and emotional well-being.

3. Plan times in your day to stop and be mindful and rest

Put down your phone when you’re eating your lunch. Look outside. Take a walk. Let go. What do you notice?

Mindfulness is a concept that can encompass many different processes in your life. In fact, we spend 46% of our days lost in thought. Wouldn’t you rather be present and enjoying your day?

Rest and being present in the moment are connected to feminine energy instead of the forceful, frantic masculine energy of forward motion.

Try this blog post on affirmations for rest and relaxation to help you wind down.

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List of Simple Joys of Life for Love and Happiness

The good news is that these beautiful things are all around us, just waiting to be discovered!

You’ll notice something about these simple joys—they employ full use of the senses: touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound. When you’re fully aware of the world around you, you don’t just use your words and your sight. When you experience deeper moments of bliss and joy, you’re completely immersed in your senses and naturally practicing non-judgment.

These simple joys are also full of nature and the seasons. The passing of time and honoring each season is a tradition that has been long lost. It’s time you bring it back into your life.

Stop to give pause and notice these amazing simple joys of life in the world around you.

May you find these feelings of joy all around you! May you always live happy, healthy, and simple and with a generous amount of self-love!

1. Hearing a baby laugh
2. The smell of coffee in the morning
3. The sun’s rays in the early morning
4. Listening to the rain
5. Soul-connecting sex
6. A summer breeze
7. Getting wrapped up in your favorite book
8. A song so moving it brings you to tears
9. Conversations with your best friend
10. Laughing so hard you cry
11. Butterflies in your stomach from falling in love
12. Crunchy leaves under your feet in fall
13. Getting a compliment
14. Getting a postcard or handwritten letter
15. The tang and sweetness of fresh fruit you picked yourself
16. Hearing your favorite song on the radio
17. Rolling down your windows all the way in the car
18. Eating off of good china
19. Letting go of the gas pump exactly at the dollar
20. A phone call or text from an old friend
21. Enjoying a donut on a road trip
22. Being greeted by your dog when you get home
23. Playing board games with your family
24. Picking flowers
25. Finding money in the pocket of a coat you haven’t worn since last year
26. Lighting candles in the winter
27. A really great bear hug
28. Bike rides in cool weather
29. Seeing someone’s face light up when they open a gift
30. Feeling the sun on your face in the springtime
31. Experiencing the grandiosity of nature in the mountains for the first time
32. Savoring your favorite dessert
33. A full, delicious home-cooked meal
34. Traveling to a new place
35. When the blinkers on your car match perfectly with the beat of a song
36. Sipping a warm cup of coffee on a cold day
37. Loving your appearance more with age
38. Brushing someone’s hair
39. Having someone brush your hair
40. A cozy blanket on a quiet night
41. Holding a child’s hand
42. A hot shower after working outside or sweating all day
43. Evening sun that streams through the west windows
44. Hearing a hilarious joke
45. Watching a baby sleep
46. Getting a massage
47. Feeling the warmth of the sun on a sunny day
48. Scratching a cat’s ears
49. A child’s first words
50. A beautiful sunset over the beach
51. The beauty of nature
52. The smell of lilacs in spring
53. Having a conversation with someone who just gets you
54. Cuddling under a blanket in the cold
55. Listening to someone say “I love you”
56. Walking barefoot
57. Hearing a child sing
58. The smell of freshly cut grass
59. Happy events with friends
60. Sheets in bed that feel cool
61. A warm, cozy house on a cold night
62. Watching animals play
63. Recalling a favorite memory from long ago that makes you feel good
64. Peaceful walks along the beach

And of course, just the knowing and understanding that life is a beautiful thing.

Inspirational Quotes about the Simple, Good Things in Life

​”It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.”

-Laura Ingalls Wilder

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

-Melody Beattie

“Fill your life with experiences, not things. Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.”

-Anonymous (found on simplelionheartlife.com)

“It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.”

-Charles Spurgeon

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”

-Robert Brault

“It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.”

-Paulo Coelho

​”If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive.”

-Eleonora Duse

“Sometimes, the simple things are more fun and meaningful than all the banquets in the world…”

-E.A. Bucchianeri

Conclusion

When you really think about it, you don’t need the latest gadgets or the next big thing. You can’t take them with you when you leave this world. 

You can bring your sense of joy, the human connection you felt, the everyday moments and the happy memories.  

What are your favorite simple joys of life? What do you enjoy that helps life slow down a little?

What are the things that fill your life full of happiness and joy?

Share in the comments below, and don’t be afraid to stop and smell the roses once in a while!

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