Pleasure

What is pleasure? I feel like I associate the work with sex and yet it is so much more than sex. Google dictionary defines it as, "a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment". That means that pleasure can extend to any area of life. Here is a list of some pleasures I have enjoyed recently:

-butter and peanut butter on sourdough toast
-clean bedsheets
-a run up the street
-petting the sweet cat in the neighborhood
-an afternoon nap
-a good stretch
-a hot bath
-a chat with a close friend
-sitting by the ocean and watching the water move

Pleasure exists in all facets of my experience of the world. From inside my mind, to outside my body, with my eyes, ears or senses. There is so much in this world that can be experienced as pleasurable and it's easier to notice when I'm not in a rush. Being overly busy and rushing around is generally not a very pleasurable experience. It can reduce the amount of time that I spend with pleasure and keep me future-focused. I need to be in the moment to experience pleasure. Many of us live in the future to maintain a sense of control or security over what's to come. I understand. We can't actually control things, and the harder we try, the more out of control things feel when they don't go 'our way' as planned.
Letting go is the hardest and most pleasurable thing to do. Recognizing that today I need to enjoy pleasure so that later my mind is oriented to enjoy it and notice it. It is a practice.
Today I choose pleasure, who knows about tomorrow?