#163: Season’s Greetings and Anti Pet Peeving
Hello everyone! Around this time of year, I tend to reflect on the year behind me and the year ahead. And while it's inspiring to set intentions and resolutions for the new year, I think it's often just as important to bring myself back to the present moment and the little heartwarming occurrences that may often go unnoticed but can have a lasting joyful impact.
For anyone who isn't familiar, an anti pet peeve is the opposite of a pet peeve. So rather than zooming in on life's little annoyances/discomforts, anti pet peeves shed light on the tiny yet meaningful instances of pleasure and joy. Pip - Thanks for bringing this idea to life that helps to foster a more mindful, daily experience!
Below are the collections gathered for this month from a few different members in the CFC Community! We plan to create a list every other month with new contributors, so there is much more to come! Enjoy :)
- Amanda
I was just thinking my favorite is when it just starts to snow and you feel like you are in a snow globe. -- Laura Hickman
Watching the moon and stars while being a passenger, on the way to somewhere, waking up minutes before my alarm to the sound of my kids talking together, discovering again the feeling of taking a long, deep breath, receiving (or sending) randomly timed words of encouragement from/to friends, and getting unexpectedly lost in a book. -- Corey Loftus
One of my recent favorites is that my 9yo son has taken to holding doors open for everyone. It's really sweet. It began with ladies only, but has evolved to pretty much everyone because, as he says, "People seem to like it!".
I love the joy finding! -- Richard Uniacke
My anti-pet peeve is when a customer-facing/service employee tries to help me overcome a barrier to service rather than simply saying that these are the requirements and there's nothing that can be done. -- Sandra Diaz
My anti-pet-peeve is when people stop me on the street to say hi to my dog. It makes me happy (I have such a good dog!), them happy (they get to pet a dog!) and him happy (he gets more attention!). I think some people are hesitant to interact with strangers on the street, and fair play: strangers aren't always pleasant. But the benefits to getting to know your community far outweigh the annoyances. I've got many, many acquaintances in my neighborhood now who I met this way, and I'm so grateful to know that on every block there's someone who'd help me out if I needed it—and who I wouldn't hesitate to help if they were in need. And it all started with one happy dog interaction! -- Flourish Klink
The moment when it’s crowded and your headphones are finally in… and you press play. -- Suzi Chun-Turley
I’ve found that taking time to appreciate an ‘everyday texture’ can give me joyful pause. For example, if there is a vase of flowers, noticing how soft petals are! Or noticing the fuzzy threads on a homemade scarf: someone took time to choose those thread fibers to weave together for comfort. -- Jayme Markus
Walking empty morning streets before the work rush hour, the first snowfall of the season, and live jazz music playing in the backdrop while walking in a park. -- Kourosh Houshmand
It might sound bad coming from a guy thats married and got three kids, but my anti pet peeve is if I come home from work and...there’s no one home. I really love having the first few minutes home without anyone talking to me. After a few minutes i start missing everyone, but its so nice when you can take your jacket and shoes off without conversations exploding around you. -- Jags Walia
The scent of the Christmas trees being sold on the street in New York. I always love it when the vendors start to set up their stands — I love leaning into the trees to catch a whiff of the north. The folks that set up these stands are great, too — a lot of them are Vermonters! -- Charlotte Dobbs
The extremely long train ride to my mom's house in Vermont — it's a bit absurdly slow and circuitous, but it's an amazing way to unplug after the business of December in New York. I love just looking out the window at the scenery and meditating on the year. -- Charlotte Dobbs