Small Pleasures - Oct 8 2023

 

Small Pleasures

Oct 8 2023

The boiler rumbles to life,

pipes burble, rattle, ping

as heat courses through,

and the first hint of warmth

begins to trickle out.

After a sweltering summer

and months at rest

   —   sitting heavily

in a cramped corner

in a damp basement

on a cold concrete floor   —

the oil burner, and its massive boiler

do what they are there for:

like dutiful soldiers

waiting for the order

to fire.

If only everything in life

was so reliable.

If all it took

was a simple turn

of the thermostat.

But really, what more could one desire

than a cozy room

on a chilly afternoon

in a blustery fall?

In my quiet life

of low expectations

and frugal celebration

I take quiet satisfaction

from small rites of passage 

such as this.

So the first day

of heating season

deserves to be recognized;

a milepost

pointing to a change in season,

the feeling of a fresh start.

And a definitive end

to a taxing summer

of record-setting heat.

Hardly earth shattering

or life transforming.

But this is how it mostly goes;

basic needs, satisfied,

and the small pleasures of daily life

quietly enjoyed.