Day 193/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
The time has come when I can finally know the ingredients with which I want to craft my future.
Cooking programmes, flamboyant chefs, (not the obnoxious kind), delicious meals crafted from soulful knowing and deep contemplation have always enchanted me. If you've ever seen the story of Jeong Kwan you'll know exactly what I mean.
There are moments in the kitchen when I can turn simple ingredients into a work of art. And I'm not looking about appearances here, so much as a taste sensation. And something more.
When my heart and soul is engaged with my cooking, the meal is phenomenal. Why is that? What is the magic ingredient? Some say it's love. Maybe.
I've spent a lifetime wondering why I was dissatisfied with life, why life wasn't working as I thought it should, why happiness evaded me. What was the missing ingredient?
It wasn't hard work, nor commitment, nor the need for action, nor goal setting, nor planning. All of those tasks were diligently attended.
There were things I needed to understand about love that I could not access in our crazy transactional Western world. A missing quality in life that has only recently become clear to me.
I've played with connection, with commitment, with honesty, with sacrifice. They weren't the answers I was looking for.
Right now I'm playing with relational. Practicing in the kitchen, forming a relationship with the ingredients of the dish and a contemplation of its nourishment and fulfilment.
Practicing in life with the ingredients of care, interest, curiosity, and giving of my time and attention.
I've needed to understand what was missing. What was it about love that I didn't understand? When people love and their behaviour is transactional, it's difficult to know the love to be found there. At least for me this is true.
Right now I feel as though I know enough to craft my future through relational connections, one step at a time. Here goes!
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.
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