Simple Pleasures
The topic for our April meeting was to have been ‘Appreciating Being Alive / Living a Good Life’. We planned to ask you all to think about — and share with others — some of the things that bring meaning to your life. It turns out to have been a rather appropriate issue given what has transpired...
The idea was suggested by one of our members who recalled Bertolt Brecht’s much-loved 1954 poem ‘Pleasures’ (reproduced below), which is a celebration of the simple joys of life. At the time Brecht was the leader of his own theatre company in Germany and something of a celebrity. But his relationship with the East German communist party was growing increasingly strained, with projects derailed and poems censored. The poem is a reflection on the hopes that kept him alive throughout those dark years, and the reality of life in the GDR. His demon was the Stasi; ours is Corvid-19...
Another suggestion was a poem by Henry Normal that he wrote recently to his wife Angela which lists his ‘reasons to live’. It is called ‘Staring Directly at the Eclipse’ (also below). Henry reads his poem at the end of ‘Another Universe’ that was broadcast last week. You can listen to it here [the poem is at ~26:20 mins and sounds better than it reads]. Better still, make yourself a cup of tea, sit down and put your feet up, and treat yourself to the whole programme. You won’t be disappointed.

So, on this page we are posting some of our members' simple pleasures...
The Pleasures of Brecht
A BBC documentary dealt with a celebration of the simple joys of life, and the story of Brecht’s much-loved poem that described them. The poem is a statement of the delights of the everyday, but it also looks out into the world beyond the private sphere. In the programme it is discussed by writer and ecologist Joanna Macy, philosopher Christopher Hamilton, ‘pleasure activist’ Adrienne Maree Brown, and German scholar Karen Leeder, who reflect on what Brecht’s simple pleasures can tell us about our own time.
Pleasures
First look from morning's window
The rediscovered book
Fascinated faces
Snow, the change of the seasons
The newspaper
The dog
Dialectics
Showering, swimming
Old music
Comfortable shoes
Comprehension
New music
Writing, planting
Traveling
Singing
Being friendly
Henry Normal
Henry Normal “uses poetry, stories and comedy to tackle those subjects so big only radio can possibly contain them... He is co-writer of TV programmes such as The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show and Coogan’s Run, and producer of, amongst many others, Oscar-nominated Philomena, Gavin and Stacey and Alan Partridge. He has published several volumes of poetry.” I like this praise for previous episodes of his current radio series: "It's a rare and lovely thing: half an hour of radio that stops you short, gently demands your attention and then wipes your tears away while you have to have a little sit down"; "it's a real treat to hear a seasoned professional like Henry taking command of this evening comedy spot to deliver a show that's idiosyncratic and effortlessly funny"; "not heard anything that jumps from hilarious to moving in such an intelligent, subtle way as Henry Normal's show".
Staring Directly at the Eclipse
Your feet on my lap as we settle for the night
A shoreline to ourselves
Sunlight on water
Nature catching the eye unexpected
Fresh air intoxicating
Getting lost in art and endeavour
Music that carries and caresses
Food presented as a gift
Being surprised by genius and kindness
Your face flush and immediate
A friendly soul at my window
Hope in all forms, however tiny
The comforting mundanity of doing nothing much
The absence of pain and fear, however fleeting
A familiar arm around my shoulder
The satisfaction of something done well
Loyalty and honour embraced
Minor revelations of perception
The defiance within spirit against overwhelming odds
Valour and grace in the face of the inevitable, despite death, and make his victory hollow.
Insects & Spiders
One of my ‘small pleasures’ is marvelling at insects and spiders — and the knowhow that is packed into their tiny bodies, and extraordinary sensory organs! I’ve been captivated by creepy crawlies ever since I was a child. I’m also fascinated by cacti, not least the range and variety of forms they take. This strange beastie is Lophophora Williamsii, a native to Mexico and Texas. It’s local name is Nahuatl which has been translated as ‘Divine Messenger’. It is better known as Peyote and a source of mescaline — something that Aldous Huxley was very familiar with!
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