Regaining my connection

I sat down on the grass, crossing my legs yoga-style, and took a deep breath. Watching the river flow by deep and strong, sending ripples to the bank, I felt myself calm down. Today had not been a good day and I knew I needed to get out into the fresh air to think things over. His words were still ringing in my ears and I felt my heart cringing in pain. What had led to this? Was it my fault?

I closed my eyes and felt the warmth of the sun on my shoulders. Proof that life goes on, no matter what. I opened my eyes and took in the scenery around me. A Cormorant landed in a tree on the opposite bank and I could see it feeding its young. They will soon have to face the large and sometimes hostile world out there one of these days and I wished that I could be there for them if and when adversity strikes.

My thoughts returned to my heart-ache. I realised that, unlike birds, we have a certain amount of control over adversity, over what happens to us. We can do something about it. Getting up and brushing myself off, I walked back to my car. My mind was clear, I knew what I had to do.

A sense of well-being

As I laboured, packing the rocks for my new water feature, I felt a certain sense of satisfaction in the gnawing pain in my back. Physical labour — feeling the weight of the rocks, their smoothness, their warmth from where they had been lying in a pile in the sun for a couple of weeks — gives me a sense of accomplishment. I stand back, surveying my handiwork and feel an exquisite sense of well-being.

What do I miss about my life before the internet…?

It seems that nostalgia is big these days. Everybody is always referring to "the old days" and the other day I was asked whether I don't miss life before the internet and all the gadgets we are surrounded with these days.

Seriously? Do you want me to tell you that I miss standing in the queue at the bank to deposit money to pay my accounts? Do you want me to tell you that I miss writing out cheques to pay creditors, putting them in envelopes and then having to go to the post office to post them? And then having to follow up where the cheque is when a creditor says they haven’t received it?

Do you want me to tell you I miss taking photographs and then having to go to a photographic shop to have them printed out, with many botched photos in the batch for which I have to pay, and then having to post them off to family and friends to share? Do you also want me to tell you I enjoyed paging  through telephone books to find a store’s number, spend hours on the phone with various stores to find out what products they have, how much it is and then spend hours comparing prices?

I also can’t tell you that, before the internet, I enjoyed having to deal with scores of estate agents when I wanted to sell a property, signing endless mandates from which nothing ever materialised. I also can’t tell you I enjoyed huge phone bills endlessly querying wrong accounts and talking to rude people and, to boot, getting nowhere!

No, I can’t tell you that there is ANYTHING that I miss about my life before the internet!

To bless this kind earth

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Glory of expression

Simplicity is the most difficult thing to secure in this world; 

it is the last limit of experience and the last effort of genius.  

- George Sand 

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I wish...

I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and nonchalant. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.

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The ultimate sophistication

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

- Leonardo da Vinci

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Create peace again

"The simplified life is a sanctified life,

Much more calm, much less strife.

Oh, what wondrous truths are unveiled-

Projects succeed which had previously failed.

Oh, how beautiful life can be,

Beautiful simplicity."

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A simply quiet life

Simplifying your life does not only mean cleaning out your cupboards, re-organising your store room or getting rid of excess stuff. All most of us want, is a quiet life. By that I don't mean you must not travel, be adventurous or have a busy life. I'm talking about having a quiet, peaceful mind, a mind that is at ease with where you are in life, that can handle whatever is thrown at you.

Decluttering our minds is one of the most important aspects of living a simple, fulfilled life. If your cupboards are neat and organised but your mind is still in a place of turmoil, you won't feel any better. We all have problems that arise in our lives and important decisions to make and problems are much easier to handle when we have inner peace.

Inner peace is obtained by taking a good look at what's going on in your life and deciding what is important and dumping all the rest. By clearing out "unnecessary" thoughts and problems, it leaves us space to deal with only that which is necessary. We often fill our minds with all sorts of irrelevant things which makes it impossible to see the big picture. 

If you're contemplating moving house, don't sweat the small stuff like, "where am I going to put this in the new place" or "I won't have space for my desk and computer" or "the new bathroom is so small". Life has a way of working out those small issues and we are all actually very adaptable beings. Once you've made a decision, just do what you have to do and the rest will fall into place.

Inner peace also comes from deciding which problems you can actually do something about and which you cannot help with except by giving constant support, like a friend or a family member that might be going through a difficult time. If the problem is of a financial nature and you can help, that's fine. If not, let it go and know that things happen as they must. To tell you the truth, you are not actually responsible for the rest of the Universe, even your own adult child, but love and support is something that we all have an abundance of and that's the best we can do.

All problems and decisions are the same - changing jobs, getting divorced, financial security, loss of a loved one - look at the big picture, let go of what you can and move on. Regrets and living in the past serves no purpose. All we have is now, tomorrow might never come, so let's do the best with NOW that we can.

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Coquettish maids

 

Lovely

Coquettish maids

Peeking painted faces

Coyly from under tilted green

Sun shades.

- Imogene Wagner (1948)

Taken in my garden -

Camera : Canon EOS 550D

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