It’s a phrase I hear a lot, that I think is meant as a put-down. To say someone is easily pleased is basically suggesting they are small-minded or uncultured, akin to the phrase “small things please small minds.”
I would imagine there was a time in my past, probably when I cared too much what other people did or thought of me, when I too would have felt put down by being called easily pleased. Nowadays, it couldn’t be further from the truth. I look at myself sometimes and look at people around me and a quote from the sitcom Bottom springs to mind where Richie says to Eddie, “You’re weird aren’t you? I mean, really weird!” I do strange things compared to my contemporary friends, like a long walk in the hills engrossing myself in everything around me and just enjoying the fact that I can. Meanwhile, other people might be stirring with a hangover or shopping for gadgets and branded clothing. I get my satisfaction from pulling up Himalayan Balsam from the banks of the river, sitting out in the garden with a cider and the firepit or listening to a podcast about nutrition on an ultra marathon.
To some, I might be boring. To some, I might be introverted. To some, I am weird. But I’m happy, I know where I fit in, and I am closer every day to realising my purpose in this all-to-brief existence. I don’t need expensive things. I just need stories and memories. To me it’s a simple choice of which one is going to give you the most joy – stuff, or memories?
I am happy being easily pleased as it means I am never bored, or disappointed when the WiFi stops working, and my needs are very simple. So now, being called easily pleased is the ultimate compliment and assurance that I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
My Outdoor Living Room 