Just an idea inspired by a story I wrote and also from a comment by Redkora.

We all (or most all) are stressed in life, but there are little things that can help us not feel so stressed out. We need to enjoy the little things in our everyday lives. We each have our own simple pleasures, and if you guys don't mind, I think it would be great to share things you enjoy on this topic so that we all may benefit and relieve some stress.

It can be anything at all - a website you go to when you need inspiration or to relax; an online video game you like to play when you're stressed; a poem, story, photo, artwork, ect that calms you; a product you buy when you need a pick-me-up; something you enjoy doing in your free time that calms your mind. Or if you'd like, you can draw or write your own personal simple pleasure for yourself or the community. Don't feel limited to one thing, tell us anything and everything you enjoy!

And feel free to keep this bookmarked/tracked if you ever need to come back and get some ideas.

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So I guess I'll start then:

Whenever I have a few extra dollars to spend, I really enjoy buying Zola Acai Juice. I really love drinking them for several reasons - they taste really good; they are good for the body (loaded with antioxidants and other goodies); and the company gives part of their proceeds back to Brazilian communities, helping them with education funding and other things. So for me, it's a great product altogether.

**This is a little vent writing...but I know it can be interpreted a number of different ways. Let me know how you interpreted this if you don't mind. I'll tell you all later how this story relates to me.**

Each one of us has had our days where we felt like a prisoner: trapped, confined, caged. You wake up early in the day, dreading the day ahead as it will be long and tedious, much like a caged animal.

You awake and remember that you are a prisoner, metal fencing separates you from being able to do whatever you'd like. The fence is tall and there seems to be no way out. You get too close to the metal and feel a sharp sting in your skin as an electrified wire touches you. You back away quickly, remembering your mistakes from before. There's no way out of this place, and even to attempt an escape would be painful in itself.

You sit and think why you have to go through a life like this. You close your eyes and dream of being free. You dream of a vast plain for you to run, an endless sky full of birds and clouds, bountiful food and friends to share your freedom with. You dream about it every day.

And then you remember...

A young boy stands at the fence of the cage, smiling and waving to you. You approach the fence, not getting too close that you'd be shocked again, but enough for him to talk to you. He even reaches his hand in, holding treats for you to eat. You smile and accept his gift, the treats are delicious and you even amuse him by licking his palm. The boy gets to touch your face, a treat in his own way. He rarely has ever touched such soft fur.

The boy says goodbye and runs off. And you are glad for the day that you had been visited by such a nice human. But then you remember once again...

The promise of freedom, you remember that you would one day be set free.

The air is slowly becoming less humid, and I can smell it. It's an odd smell, musty but in a good way. I can smell a very faint cinnamon in the air. In fact I can nearly taste it, my tongue longing for the tastes of cinnamon and apple cider. I feel the Sun drawing away, not bearing down on the world as much as it had before. I feel the wind start to become chilly, cooling my body while I step out into the sunlight. I see the leaves begin their journey, preparing themselves for the long fall to the Earth by changing their color. It will take time but their trek must be done. I hear the wind brush upon the leaves, rustling them and creating the sound much like pom poms. It makes me long to watch Football once again. I hear another journey occurring above me, as geese fly overhead, making their own trip to warmer lands.

I sense all of these, and deep within I smile and realize...



Autumn is coming.

...Well, it would actually be a Wereantelope...

Clicky!

"You have done well, my child.", spoke the words of an elder to a young but capable boy. "Today you will prove your passage to manhood. We have seen your impressive skills with the bow, but today you will go on your first hunt."

The tribe was very successful in teaching their young about hunting. Kitchi was learning well about the sacrifice the animals gave so that their tribe would be able to live on, and equally how both man and beast had respect for one another. The young man gave a nod to the elder, "I've even seen the elk that I will kill. He has appeared in my dreams several times - he has a distinct patch of white on his chest."

The elder shook his head, "My son, you will never know what the hunt will bring. Finding an elk like that will be quite a challenge. See him as your guardian rather than your prey. Perhaps the elk is your totem.", he replied.

The young hunter gave a quiet sigh, "Maybe.", he replied.

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Kitchi finally set out alone for his hunt. He was dressed lightly, and carried a few supplies in addition to his bow and some arrows. He quickly left the encampment and disappeared into the treeline that bordered the plains. Following his instinct, he searched for traces of prey. In the distance he heard the distinct cries of elk. "So it will be an elk...", he said to himself, his blood thickening as the sounds echoed through the trees. He quickly darted through the forest, careful to keep the sounds of his feet at a minimum as he approached the source of the sounds.

In a clearing he spotted a lone elk, who was looking around curiously and calling out to any others who were around. His voice was shrill and high pitched, and with each call he raised his ears in hopes of finding his herd.

Hey guys, I have two sections for this: Old Old Old Animated Movies, and Animal Animated Movies. I'm looking for new movies of both to add to my collection

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Old Old Old Animated Movies

I'm planning on picking up a few that we used to own on beta tape. They of course have these on Youtube but I'd rather own the DVDs of them (I know most of them are on DVD already). Below are clips from each movie:

The Flight of Dragons
Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland
The Sea Prince and the Fire Child
The Jetsons Movie (not one like the three above but I watched it all the time as a kid)

Let me know if there are any you are familiar with. I know I saw The Last Unicorn in stores and found out that was another one like above.

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Animal Animated Movies

I'm also looking for good animated animal movies.

In the quiet moments of the night, the deer all sleep, dreaming their dreams of sweet grass and pinecones, knowing that the Forest was well protected by the Twin Gods. Endless Forest deer had little to fear unlike other deer, so they wandered during the day and slept at night.

A few deer stayed up during the night to watch the stars, catching glimpses of the Milky Way and watching in awe as meteors struck through the sky like a match being lit. As those dreamers stayed and stared at the sky, one stole away into the deeper parts of the Forest. She kept a secret that very few ever got to see.

Finding a spot near the Playground, she looked up to the heavens, and opening up her soul, she felt butterfly wings grow from her back. It was never painful, in fact she could feel the tension of her body vanish as the wings grew. They seemed to glow in the starlight, and she smiled every time she saw them.

Someone was coming, but she chose not to hide the wings. She could already tell it was Quad, who had his own wings. The stag smiled as he saw her there, and spoke, "You must have pleased the Twin Gods in your own way." Taliene nodded, "We all have gifts from them. Some of us have vivid dreams, others have more physical treasures. I've seen your own wings, Quad. You are really lucky."

Quad shook his head, "Nah, I made a promise to the Twin Gods for my wings. You, on the other hand, appeased them." He slowly felt his own wings grow from his back - four white bird-like wings that glistened as well.

"The Gods make each of us beautiful. You and I have different wings but the message is still the same. We are part of their dream, their legacy.", Taliene spoke. Quad nodded in agreement, "Because of that, I could never convince myself to ask them for anything. I always thought we had too much and would be greedy to ask for more."

Taliene shook her head, "The Twin Gods give freely. Never be ashamed to ask them for help.", she said.

I know this will come off as a selfish topic but I made this for a few reasons - To serve as a reference for the many gifts you guys have given me while I've been going through this tough time; To return to if I ever am depressed and need to see these again; So I can show them to my Mom when she returns from San Antonio; and so I can come up with a way to repay you guys when I get to that point.

ChickenWhite - A flower
Doe - Drawing Chain 8: Quad
Eyestrain - Eternal Forest
Kaoori - Quad
Katara00176 - WIP Quadraptor
OokamiAzura - Story (in the comments)
Nine (?) - Golden Hare
Pegasicorn - Hang In There
Redkora - Red, White, and Dark Blue; Odosketch
Snail - Know One Thing; For Quadraptor
Thaddgrey - Hare and Rhino
TheForsakenOne - Heart
Trigger_Mortis - Like a Shot in the Heart
VeryCrazyGirl - A Wild Quad has appeared
z.m123 - For Quad

Everyone else - Wishes on [ur

Hide your face, don't let them see it. Wear the mask so they will never know who you really are.

It wraps around you like a strange flower, but your eyes peer behind them. You are kind and your eyes show it. You whisper soft and beautiful words to those around you, but they run off, too busy to hear you speak.

It doesn't matter, you smile as you watch them run and play with their friends. The violet flowers in your antlers flutter in the wind. You catch a whiff of the perfume and it brings back memories of a time where you barely knew anyone in the Forest, and even then you were happy to dance and nuzzle them. Things were so much different back then - not everyone was so lovestruck as they are today, and everyone loved each other quite equally.

Walking off, you find the Pond. You look at the face that stares back at you. Gentle eyes, a lovely smile, and that mask. What are you hiding from?

You close your eyes and raise your head, taking in the smell of the water. It makes you remember being a fawn, laughing as you splashed in the pond with other little ones. "Come play with us! Come on, it's fun!", the words echo in your mind.

You jump into the water. You feel the cooling water clean off your body. The colors of your pelt change to a lovely brown and white. You feel the violet flowers fall from your antlers. You watch as the mask on your face disintegrates...

You emerge, shaking off the water. You walk away from the Pond, and finding a patch of those violet flowers, you lower your antlers and let them get entangled once again. They are symbolic to you, and bring back too many memories for you not to wear.

Your face is bare, kind, and glistening. You soon find a group of deer, and they look to you curiously. "Redkora? You look...different...", they say to you.

Warning, this one contains a little graphic scenery and violence.

Return to Nature Index

You are channel flipping on your television, holding onto the now almost lifesize plush animal of Vito as you watch. It is late at night and you can't sleep, the light from the television illuminating your room.

You stop on a channel that is talking about meat processing plants. You quickly turn your eyes away and change to the next channel. You can't see something like that right now, not since you've started seeing your deer and Vito. You keep flipping channels, finding a different show about construction. You catch a glimpse of a deer who is walking around a construction site.

Slowly you drift to sleep, awaking and finding yourself laying on cold pavement. You sit up and look around, expecting rolling hills, a thick forest, or a lovely meadow, but instead, you find yourself sitting in an old warehouse.

The place is musty, and you can even see specks of dust hovering around in the sunbeams that penetrate through the walls. You stand and watch as dust and dirt lifts off the ground and floats down. This place must not have been used for quite some time, as you see weeds growing through cracks in the floor.

You call out, actually hearing your own voice echo back. Are you the only one here?

Then you hear footsteps approach nearby, and see both your deer and Vito appear from a separate room. You were glad to see them, but you don't understand why you are here of all places. "There are some things animals will never understand.", your deer says, "This place for example. Do you know what it was used for?"

You shake your head. You have no idea.