Honestly, my list of simple pleasures is extraordinarily long, so I’m unable to pick just one to describe. Since that makes for a very poor response to the daily prompt, I want to make the effort of giving you something worth reading.

If I can’t answer straight up, then the next best thing is to seek somebody else’s answer, right?! So, I asked Mr. McGoogle the prompt question. The response was much better than I expected. Instead of giving just a basic answer, the ai overview actually helped me understand why it was so hard to pick a simple answer.

Why is it so hard to pick one? Because we’ve been asked to give a simple pleasure that brings joy, not some huge undertaking, or major life-altering activity.

Anyway, here is the response from the web’s ai overview:

Life’s simple pleasures are the easily accessible, everyday moments that ground us. They bypass the need for grand milestones or large budgets, offering immediate calm, happiness, and a restored sense of well-being. [1]

I liked how the ai summed up a little breakdown of what exactly life’s simple pleasures might look like. From there, it broke it down into categories, so you can see how many directions one might go, in selecting their favorite simple pleasure:

Discovering these little pockets of joy helps shift the nervous system into a state of rest and relaxation. Explore some of the most universal everyday joys organized by category: [1]

☕ Sensory & Comfort

• Taste: The first sip of morning coffee, biting into fresh, juicy fruit, or the rich taste of dark chocolate.
• Touch: Crawling into bed with fresh, clean sheets, or feeling the warmth of sunshine on your face.
• Smell: The aroma of fresh rain on hot pavement (petrichor) or the scent of a favorite candle. [1]

🌳 Nature & Outdoors

• The Elements: Stepping on crunchy leaves in the fall or feeling a cool breeze on a warm afternoon.
• Observation: Listening to early morning birdsong or looking up at the moon and stars.
• Sensation: Walking barefoot through plush green grass or breathing fresh, salty air at the beach. [1, 2, 3, 4]

🧘‍♀️ Mind & Body

• Routine: Waking up naturally without an alarm or taking a cozy afternoon nap.
• Release: A deep, satisfying stretch after waking up.
• Peace: The clean, uncluttered calm of a tidy room. [1, 2, 3]

🤝 Connection & Hobbies

• Communication: Receiving a handwritten letter, or exchanging an effortless laugh with a loved one.
• Leisure: Sinking into a really good book or listening to an old, nostalgic song.
• Company: Having a cat choose to rest on your lap, or simply people-watching at a local coffee shop.

If I could choose a simple pleasure from the Sensory and Comfort section, it might be a really rich scented candle, leaving it’s aroma throughout the room. My favorite kinds of candles are the deep, earthy kind, with differing notes of oriental spices, and such.

Choosing a simple pleasure from the Nature and Outdoors section, I’d pick walking barefoot on the beach, and stepping into the surf, just enough to feel the waters pulling me toward it.

From mind and body, I’d probably be the stretching girl. I wonder if yoga would be my jam?

Last but not least comes the Connection and Hobbies section. For this I’m choosing the entire Leisure section, and not just one answer. Why? Because I can, that’s why. Music, books, and old movies are definitely some of my favorite simple pleasures to indulge in, just so you know. But only some, which is why I had to give this incredibly longwinded answer.

Why I didn’t just pick baking cookies, I don’t know. Hey, it’s early and I was a bit slow on the take!

Try one, and I’m sure you’ll agree with me that a good cookie can be a very joyful simple pleasure, or maybe a guilty one. I’m sure you’ll figure it out…