Fun

There is a sense in which life in earlier eras was simpler than our time. The diversions were different and few, though the culture was more alcohol and smoke infused. It is sometimes helpful to recall those distant days and think about how we too can enjoy the simple pleasure of life. Something as simple as a cool glass of water in the heat, or a green melon, or a slice of watermelon can be transporting and refreshing. There are no higher pleasures than the natural ones.

The sweet daub of perfume, the dark green of plants inside the house, the flicker of a candle at dusk--these things are more than they seem. It is important to enjoy them all. Those moments of silence and echoing beauty give the soul a kind of stalwart strength, a deep well of calm.

The painting above is one that illustrates this, portraying its title 'Reading Aloud' and Victorian life--it's by the American Julius LeBlanc Stewart [1855-1919], who lived mostly in Paris.