Day 95/366 days Towards Self-Mastery. Mood: melancholy
Will we look back on this time and understand that less is actually more?
There's less of almost everything we've come to depend on, and that includes in no small way, human contact with our friends and families.
We're learning to be frugal with our wants and needs in a time when a virus can cripple a economy and introduce self-isolation on a national level.
Such a great opportunity to strip back our lives to the bare essentials, stand back and take a long look at what's left.
"Elegance is the art of restraint", uncluttered, comfortable, simple, graceful.
Wardrobes that last week overflowed with clothes that I never wore, now spacious and clean with just a few loved and often plucked favourites.
True elegance is a frame of mind. When you have achieved that way of thinking, the rest comes naturally.
Shoe racks neatly stacked with much loved, and now clean shoes with boxes of those that were never chosen to go to the local charity.
Jars of dried beans and lentils, seeds and grains suitable for the long haul in isolation grace the shelves of my pantry, those hidden cans of veg that have well passed their use-by date finally finding their way to the bin.
Butterflies and bugs filling the air in my garden where I visit regularly to remove errant weeds, tidy edges, admire blooms, converse with the bees and promise to turn the veggie garden tomorrow.
Life is slower, a meandering pace has nestled in.
The longing for time with friends reminds me of just how much I've taken their presence for granted.
Hours filled with nerdy and long-awaited courses and documentaries that fascinate and animate my imagination.
Unified physics and the connected universe.
Field theory and the Resonance Project.
Okay, yeah I know, not romance novels and chick flicks on Netflix, but there you have an insight into my mind.
Less is more. An artform.
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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