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What are your daily essentials?

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We all know we’re supposed to have five portions of fruit and veg every day. Most of us don’t and manage to mosey along without too much difficulty.

I wrote a post yesterday for Ready for Ten about the prospect of libraries closing and how tragic that will be for our children – and their children. In it, I talked about libraries being a supply of free nutrition for kids’ brains.

The more I think about it, the more I realise that I was right. Libraries – books – provide essential elements for a growing, and healthy, mind. Access to them should be a right, enshrined in law like shelter, education, and health care.

For me reading is a daily essential. A few pages or a chapter at night time help me to switch off. I can’t imagine a public transport journey without printed matter. Without written words, my existence – and that of my family – would feel malnourished.

My other daily essentials include coffee – proper, not instant.

Radio is pretty much a must-have. How could I pass a car journey, get dressed or make a meal without it?

A chat with my husband is important to us – probably less so to anyone else, although I’m sure he’d be happy to co-operate if you fancy a parley with the Panther…

Food every few hours, I’m very bad at hungry. That’s probably more for the benefit of those around me, though. oh. And a few minutes that belong to me alone.. just a few..

That’s it. See, I’m quite low-maintenance really – five a day and something to read. What’s on your list of essentials?

Comments

  1. Hugs and a smoochy kiss from my wife, Maggie is an essential as is a hug (his kisses tend to be licks at the moment) from my son,four-year-old, Adam.
    Also need music at some stage so a snatched CD track, or quick visit to Spotify or YouTube is a must.
    I train at the gym alternate days and get a bit stir crazy when I miss out. Phone chats with my elder sons always welcome though they can be infrequent.
    Simple pleasures – so important.

  2. This has made me think – I find that when I get my essentials out of balance that I get grumpy, question is what are the essentials

    I reckon a bit of time & space to myself to do what I want to rather than someone else demanding it (be it the smalls or Mr or work) and yes reading does tend to do it for me

    Also food – don't feed me regularly and I get all dizzy

    And it may make me a bad person but I do enjoy a glass of wine!

  5. Mike, they are crucial, aren't they? Maybe we need 5-a-day healthy food and 5-a-day food for the soul.

    Muddling Along Mummy, it's amazing what a difference a little bit of space makes.

    Caron, I'm glad you had a happy bloggy hour.

    Jojo, thanks – sounds like fun is essential to your life.

  7. Things I need to get me through the day (in no particular order…)
    *a hug and a kiss from my partner before we get up
    *a proper coffee in the morning
    *a cuddle with all of my daughters
    *an apple
    *at least five minutes to myself to just sit and shut my brain off
    *the internet, without it I would probably go mad!
    *superdrug vitamin E face cream
    *warm socks
    *knowing that I've got a great bunch of mates who I can ring if things go a bit bleurgh….
    *music of varying kinds depending on my mood
    *chamomile tea in copious amounts throught the day
    Other than that I can't really thing of anything else at the mo…I'm sure there are a billion things that I haven't realised are essential to me as they're probably always around…

  8. Let's see; warm feet (amazingly, easier to come by in Moscow than in England), and a can of diet coke. Oh, and conversation with an adult at some point. That's it. Does that make me high maintenance?

  9. My daily essentials definitely include books (and the lovely mobile library brings them to our doorstep every three weeks).
    Also hugs and kisses from my children (and husband, I'd better include him!), running, coffee, G&B 85% choc, Radios Two and Five, the internet and, currently, the boxed set of The West Wing.
    Those are the things I miss most when they're not available.
    Come to think of it our private water supply stopped for a day recently – I really missed that too!

  10. NMA, The Archers, not Corrie I'd say.

    Thingsandstuff, excellent list – I'd include carrots not apples

    Potty Mum, very low, I'd say.

    Mags, Sometimes G&B's Maya Gold is an essential, but I'm trying to downgrade it to a luxury.

  12. Proper Coffee (so with you on this one, it MUST be proper though – instant won't do at all), decent cup of tea, fine wine, The Archers, a cuddle from my boys and a bit of fresh air.

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