Inspired by the Classics: The Sound of Music

Yesterday afternoon, after a lovely picnic with my family in the backyard, I sat down and watched The Sound of Music with my daughter. It was her first time watching this classic, award-winning film from 1965, and the amused and slightly awed look on her face throughout the movie was precious. She said, several times, "this is such a good movie!" I have to agree with her! Do you agree? Perhaps you saw it many years ago, or like my daughter, you've never seen it. Either way, here are a few ways we can draw inspiration from this classic movie. 

Have a sanctuary in nature

The film begins with Julie Andrews' character, Sister Maria, high in the Swiss Alps singing freely. The hills are, quite simply, her sanctuary. She sings: 

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely

I know I will hear what I've heard before

My heart will be blessed with the sound of music

And I'll sing once more

I've spoken here on the blog about the importance of having a sanctuary and I seriously cannot recommend it enough. For Maria, her sanctuary was the hills. Returning to nature for a place to rest, recuperate and truly be our authentic selves is a free and easy way to add some refined, simple living into our modern lives. Perhaps it is the beach, and not the mountains, that is your special place; that place you go to and simply breathe a sigh of relief because you know you are where you need to be to relax. Let me know in the comments what your sanctuary in nature might look like. 

Find your purpose and do it wholeheartedly

Maria was a nun, and she believed she needed to find God's will for her life. Whether you believe in a divine will, or an individual, earthly one, it is so important to find your purpose and then do it wholeheartedly.

When I was at school, finding our "purpose" went hand in hand with choosing our future professions. Back then, I chose to become a teacher because I felt my purpose was to share my love of languages, history and other cultures with children. To show them that through hard-work and dedication they could master another language and be a citizen of the world. When I became a wife and mother, my purpose was to make my home a sanctuary for my family; a place of refuge where they would feel loved and supported and free to be themselves. When I started this blog, my purpose was to share my love of the classics with others, and hopefully, inspire them to look to the old ways, the classics, to live a simple and refined life, a life that they love to live. Our purpose does not have to be the job that we do each day. Nor do we only need one purpose in our lives. We also have to let go of a purpose, if it is no longer appropriate or a "good fit." We see Maria do this, when she lets go of the convent and allows herself to love Captain Von Trapp. She felt scared, anxious and inadequate - until she changed her attitude. Sometimes we have to try different things until we find our "purpose" or our true calling. Once we do, doing it wholeheartedly, with passion and dedication, will bring fulfilment to our lives in ways that we never could have imagined.

Have confidence in yourself: "I have confidence in me!"

Ah, that ever-elusive c-word that bloggers and influencers, researchers and academics alike love to throw around. Confidence. What is it? What is that air that confident people exude, often unknowingly? And more, importantly, how do we get it? I think that the simplest way to having confidence is to invest time in knowing yourself. But knowing who you are, what you like and don't like (and why), what makes you comfortable, what makes you thrive, takes a considerable investment in time and personal reflection. It is an ongoing process, as we journey through life and adapt to an ever-changing world. It may be the simplest way to get confidence, but it certainly isn't the quickest or most finite. I talk about this more in my article on Jane Eyre and Knowing Thyself if you are interested in knowing more. So once we know ourselves, it is easier to have confidence. Not everyone is going to like us, "as we are," and Maria faces this in the Von Trapp house, in particular from The Baroness, but in no way does she apologise for who she is or try to be someone she is not. By having a sound self-confidence, Maria is able to push herself out of her comfort zone (the convent) and still be her true authentic self (in the Von Trapp house).  

Know your favourite things

Everybody knows this famous song from the movie! 

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...these are a few of my favourite things!"

Perhaps Maria has spent a lot of time thinking about her favourite things, or maybe she just knows herself so well that when asked she can whip out a list of favourite things like that! Can you? If someone were to ask you, what are your favourite things? could you honestly give a satisfactory answer?

Here is a list of some of my favourite things to get you started:

• the smell and feel of sheets fresh from the clothes line
• the smell of onion and garlic frying in oil
• cups of tea
• bees wax candles
• fresh flowers cut and in pretty vases
• hot showers
• a perfect pair of ballet flats
• cuddles with my children
• Friday movie night
• eating al fresco
• lazy Sunday lunches followed by a strong coffee
• doing word puzzles and quizzes with my husband
• books, books and more books!

This list, to a stranger who knows nothing else about me, could safely assume that I am a homebody, who loves nature and simple pleasures at home, and they would be absolutely right! It is not, of course, an exhaustive list. There are many other things I enjoy that I haven't listed here, but I know what they. Now that we know what they, why not surround ourselves with these things as often as possible? By doing this consciously, we are bringing more mindfulness and pleasure into our everyday lives, which will in turn lead to a greater sense of overall contentment in our lives. So why not make a list of your favourite things, even in the comments below if you like!

But also know your faults

Maria is the first one to admit that she talks to much and is far too honest for her own good. I tend to have this fault also, and it is something that I don't like too much about myself. By having this awareness I am able to mindfully observe how I react and respond and pull myself into line when I am overstepping the mark. This is definitely something I would like to change about myself. It's very easy to simply say, oh that's a fault of mine, but not actually do anything about it. For me, a fault is something to work on, to improve and to eventually eradicate from my behaviour. It may not be for you. You may simply think that is the way you are. But stop now, and pause. What are your faults? Would you like to change them? Who can help you? Do you have a love one who can give you a gentle nudge when you are being too overbearing or outspoken?

Be creative; get crafty!

I had to include this image of the Von Trapp children in their play clothes made from curtains!

Source

You have to admire Maria's quick sewing skills to whip up these outfits from a pair of curtains that were going to be discarded! I'm not suggesting we all make clothes out of curtains, but get creative. Need new cleaning rags? Cut up some old flannelette pyjamas! Table cloth too small for the table? Turn it into stylish cloth napkins! An abundance of fragrant roses in the garden? Dry them up and make sweet-smelling pot pourri! Get creative and get crafty! Need more inspiration? JES at Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth has a whole list of fun, creative endeavours to try - whatever your interest and skill level may be!

Face your problems head on

This is a tough one. It's so easy these days to procrastinate, to avoid, to delay, to entertain in the hopes of problems going away. But the truth is, most of the time, they don't. We can scroll all night but the problems are still waiting for us in the morning. I can guarantee that the night would be better spent actually facing your problems head on. And this doesn't necessarily mean you have to face them alone. Sometimes, just having someone to talk to can be enough to crystallise the problem in your mind. This can mean enlisting the help of a loved one, a paid professional or a church pastoral service. If there is no-one, write the problem down. The University of Rochester Medical Centre claims that:

Journaling helps control your symptoms and improve your mood by:

• Helping you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns
• Tracking any symptoms day-to-day so that you can recognize triggers and learn ways to better control them
• Providing an opportunity for positive self-talk and identifying negative thoughts and behaviors

I really like that idea of prioritising problems, fears and concerns. The next step, once they have been written down and prioritised, would be to mark which problems you can actively solve or begin to address. This may end up taking several steps or attempts to resolve a problem but we all sleep better when we have a plan of how to tackle our problems. 

If you have stayed with me til the end, thank you! I hope you have enjoyed drawing inspiration from The Sound of Music. If there is another classic movie that inspires or moves you, please share it in the comments below and we may explore it further in future posts. 

Kirsty x