What Oprah Knows For Sure About Enjoying the Little Things
Oprah discusses her simple plans for summer and what filming in one of the most beautiful places on Earth taught her.
Photo: Courtesy of Oprah
Photo: Near Queenstown, New Zealand, February.
The older I get, the more I appreciate every moment of every season. And the season headed our way I'm looking forward to most of all.
Why? Because I have no plans.
For the first time in my adult life, I have no mission or project or goal beyond wrapping myself in warmth and pleasure as summer unfolds.
I'm dreaming of picnics on a hillside, and hikes over mountain passes, and bicycle rides on red dirt country roads. Whipping up my own frozen popsicles, roasting corn on the cob, going for a dip in the ocean with all my clothes on. Eating fried green tomatoes and juicy heirlooms and potato salad freshly made with chopped pickles. Walking barefoot in the grass "no further than my own backyard."
Dorothy's great discovery in Oz was so right: The adventure does indeed begin with you. It’s not outside you. You bring yourself to each experience.
I was recently in one of the most beautiful places on earth—the South Island of New Zealand—filming the movie A Wrinkle in Time. New Zealanders know how blessed they are to live in a place whose every crevice speaks to the soul. No matter where you look, there’s another awe-inspiring landscape: lakes the color of pure turquoise, snowcapped mountains and swaying pines, open fields and sheep, sheep, sheep everywhere.
The whole country is majestic and tranquil at the same time.
I tried every morning to breathe in its beauty.
And then I came home and felt the same awe, watching my dogs chase a rabbit across the lawn, in and out of lettuces through the garden.
Me rooting for the rabbit.
Another sunset viewed from my porch. Home. Life. I know for sure: That's the sweetest adventure.
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The older I get, the more I appreciate every moment of every season. And the season headed our way I'm looking forward to most of all.
Why? Because I have no plans.
For the first time in my adult life, I have no mission or project or goal beyond wrapping myself in warmth and pleasure as summer unfolds.
I'm dreaming of picnics on a hillside, and hikes over mountain passes, and bicycle rides on red dirt country roads. Whipping up my own frozen popsicles, roasting corn on the cob, going for a dip in the ocean with all my clothes on. Eating fried green tomatoes and juicy heirlooms and potato salad freshly made with chopped pickles. Walking barefoot in the grass "no further than my own backyard."
Dorothy's great discovery in Oz was so right: The adventure does indeed begin with you. It’s not outside you. You bring yourself to each experience.
I was recently in one of the most beautiful places on earth—the South Island of New Zealand—filming the movie A Wrinkle in Time. New Zealanders know how blessed they are to live in a place whose every crevice speaks to the soul. No matter where you look, there’s another awe-inspiring landscape: lakes the color of pure turquoise, snowcapped mountains and swaying pines, open fields and sheep, sheep, sheep everywhere.
The whole country is majestic and tranquil at the same time.
I tried every morning to breathe in its beauty.
And then I came home and felt the same awe, watching my dogs chase a rabbit across the lawn, in and out of lettuces through the garden.
Me rooting for the rabbit.
Another sunset viewed from my porch. Home. Life. I know for sure: That's the sweetest adventure.
Want more stories like this delivered to your inbox? Sign up for the Oprah.com Inspiration Newsletter!
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