Gamache had risen before the sun that morning. His little travel alarm said 5.55. He was always delighted when a digital clock had all the same numbers. (pg. 174-175)
It was a tranquil few minutes, and Gamache appreciated every calm moment, pouring rich full bodied café au lait from the thermos into the little metal cup, and burrowing into the paper bag for a flaky croissant, still warm from the oven. (pg. 175)
Gamache is the detective in Still Life by Louise Penny. He is a Chief Inspector with the Sûreté du Québec and is in the small town of Three Pines investigating the death of a long time resident. My comments about the book overall should be up in the next couple of days.
What struck me about these two short passages is that even in the middle of a murder investigation, he can take the couple minutes to appreciate the little things, like the numbers matching or a delicious fresh croissant. My day is a lot less busy than his, I have fewer responsibilities, fewer people looking to me for answers, but do I remember to slow down and appreciate the simple things, to smell the roses so to speak? More often than not, I don’t. I didn’t enjoy the flavor of my coffee this morning, I just gulped it down. I glanced at the birds in the backyard, but I don’t know that I actually paid attention.
I think day to day life would be more enjoyable if I did make a conscience effort to enjoy the “simple pleasures,” actually paid attention to the things that are so easy to take for granted, like the smell of my soap or the warmth of my fuzzy slippers.
What about you? Have there been any little things this week that have brought you a bit of delight?
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. I cheated, but the rules are easy. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give us two teaser sentences. Remember, no spoilers
My copy was purchased and the above is my honest opinion. I am an Amazon associate.
Hmm croissant!!! Here is mine
What a great post! It seems we’re so caught up in wanting more that we forget to enjoy what we already have.
Sounds like a lovely book 🙂
Well..no, I had some chocolate, but did not take my time with it
Very nice! Yes, we should all slow down a bit and enjoy life’s little details more. Also, I love it when an author takes the time to include moments like these in a book. Wonderful teasers!
It is nce that he can take a moment to appreciate those little things, especially when he’s on his way to work. I can barely utter a sentence to anyone when I wake up, let alone pay attention to the alarm clock or food!
OOh, Louise Penny is so good! My teaser is here
I like how you engage a story. We do need to enjoy the little pleasures of life. After all, we don’t get to redo it.
Great post! Over Christmas my dad brought me boxes from when I lived at home. I discovered huge purple-haired troll slippers (I loved those tolls). I’ve been wearing them around the house and I can’t help but feel silly every time I look down at them. It’s the little things 🙂
I received the book today – thank you!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my teaser! Here’s mine: http://beltwayliterature.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/teaser-tuesdays-the-paradiso/
Those are precious little moments, indeed! I love it when I slow down enough to notice the small details like that. Sipping a rich coffee, noticing the sun’s rays hitting ‘just right,’ etc.
Great quotes!
I tend to be like that last time but somehow lost a bit of that touch. I need to slow down and enjoy these little moments more. Thanks for this post!