Simple, no cost, no maintenance pleasure. If you’re on a journey to better health, you’ve been told to drink more water. Let’s face it. As fabulous as cool, clear water is, it can become a task instead of a pleasure to get the amount you need. There are lots of wonderful recipes out there to add a little pizzazz to your water. Mine isn’t anything new, but it feels extra special to me because it comes straight from my yard, to my refrigerator, to  my glass.

A couple of summers ago I purchased a small lavender plant. A friend told me it was hardy, easy to grow, and had lots of uses. Last summer a friend shared a few of her mint plants with me. I threw them in the ground next to the lavender, no extra care, and they grew.

This summer I’m harvesting. (I did last summer, too. You can harvest right away.) It’s very simple. I break a few leaves off, rise them, and toss them in a pitcher of water. I cover the pitcher and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. The next day I have gently flavored (and scented) water to drink.

I add water a few times a day so the pitcher never runs dry. My mint and lavender leaves last 4-5 days before I decide they aren’t as potent as they were initially and need to be replaced.

I just consumed roughly 12 ounces of water as I typed this post. Each sip brought pleasure as a gentle whiff of lavender scented the air as I drank.

Of course you could have mint water or lavender water. You don’t have to do both at once, though I prefer it.

And just as aside, we served up fancy waters at Sarah’s wedding a few weeks ago. I love it that something as basic and healthy as water can become special with so little effort.

I wanted to write a profound post this first entry after my series about my daughter’s wedding. Guess I wasn’t really up to digging deep this time, but here’s what I’m thinking: Life isn’t usually about the big, impacting stuff–like weddings. Enjoying life is often about the simple moments, the tiny pleasures. Lavender leaves in water. A walk with someone you love. A brief pause in the rushing to enjoy the beauty right in your own yard.

Here’s a bit of what I savored in my pause this evening, right before Jerry and I sauntered through the neighborhood, holding hands in the falling dusk.

From the flower bed beside the front sidewalk

My mailbox. You can’t tell in this picture, but it is yellow, one of my favorite colors.  My sister-in-law painted it  as a surprise to cheer me up during a gloomy season. This year I planted red and white flowers beneath it to honor my neighbor, who hates yellow and has threatened to paint my mailbox red!

My other favorite color is pink. (Though since Sarah’s wedding I’ve become partial once again to purple, which was my favorite color in childhood.) I’m especially enjoying this unique flower this year. I love its cheery yellow face, so pretty framed in pink! It’s also cool how the yellow is outlined in purplish magenta.

What simple pleasures do you enjoy?

Pass along this healthy tip with these tweetables:

Drinking the water you need can be a simple pleasure.

Lavender and mint flavored water: ordinary to extraordinary

Simple pleasures and healthy choices

Tagged: drink water, enjoy life, enjoy simple pleasures, enjoy water, healthy choices, lavender, lavender mint water, mint, simple pleasure, water, weight loss