Simple Pleasures

I never thought I would enjoy flushing the toilet so much. You see, for a long time, there was a problem with my toilet. Unless you opened the tank and pushed the arm holding the flapper valve down creating a seal with the valve seat, the water in the tank would slowly leak out, causing the toilet to refill every 10 minutes or so. I tried a few different flapper valves, but none worked. (So much for "universal" flapper valves.) Recently, while walking through Home Depot, I happened to see a valve seat replacement and flapper valve package. Though the flapper valve was different from my ball-like valve, I was able to rig the system so the toilet would flush. Long story short: no more opening the tank, pushing the valve (after waiting for the water to properly drain) and replacing the tank. It is a small pleasure, but a pleasure nonetheless. It got me thinking about other simple pleasures I enjoy:

• Foam soap, especially the kind at TGI Friday's in Seekonk.
• Freshly washed sheets on the bed
• The smell of sweaty hockey gloves (really)
  
• The smell of a new guitar case
• Taping a new hockey stick
  
• Making my wife laugh
• Playing softball
• Depositing a floor hockey ball under the crossbar (hitting the water bottle is even better)
• When a kid makes a significant spiritual decision or discovery
  

Then there are several that involve my daughter:

• Post-bath cuddle time
• Listening to her laugh
• The way she says "baseball," which is "boo-ball"
• The "Dada!," squeal, and quick little footsteps I hear when I come home
• The way she'll sometimes rub my shoulder when I hold her