Day 160/366 days Towards Self-Mastery
It's fascinating how many of the everyday ordinary things we take for granted that turn into family treasures.
Sarah's walking us through our home at present, and asking us to become more aware of the many pleasures that each room brings, inviting us to extend more of our authentic selves into every space.
In my life at least, there have been very few times that I have lived in a home with a separate dining room. A coveted tradition of old, and perhaps still for some, for me and my budget it's not a thing.
My lovely rustic dining table and chairs, retrieved from misuse and lovingly restored has been with my little family for some 20 years. On that table we have lived so many facets of our lives.
It has been a place to do homework, I still use it for study and writing, I practice my new watercolour painting skills there, my craft is spread there when I'm ready to commit a few hours to creativity. I sit pot plants there for weeks at a time, cool off baking, unload grocery shopping, fold washing and arrange flowers there.
There have been many family meals and share meals there. It has hosted Pancake Sundays, enjoyed with groups of teen boys, birthday celebrations, friends for brunch and family for a number of house warmings.
That dining table is often caressed by Tabasca too, our cat, as she rubs her itchy chin on the table legs.
Caps and bum bags hang from the chairs that act as perfect hooks, keeping everything in readiness to grab for the next day's walk.
That kitchen table is home. It is the centre of family life that makes our home familiar and comfortable, secure and stable and enduring.
To one side are my beloved bookshelves that store all my most precious cookbooks, healing books, books of inspiration and my cherished photo albums. Family photos make the space into a precious haven of family activity.
On the other side is an antique colonial dutch dresser of New Zealand Kauri. A special piece that I discovered some 25 years ago. In between are the trolleys that hold my crafty items, ready to embrace the dining table when there's a few minutes free to indulge.
With our lives so busy with coming and going, and doing and achieving, it's easy to overlook the most simple yet most valuable evidence of our lives well lived.
Today I'll give it another polish with timber wax, and as I'm doing that I'll reflect on all these wonderful memories.
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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