It's a Classical Life

First of all, let me begin by saying thank you to all the readers who take time out of their day to stop by this blog to read the articles on how to live well, inspired by the classics. This is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart and I love reading a range of classics that will excite and inspire to share with you all. I know sometimes my posting can be patchy, but my aim is to have a good bank of articles that can be read in any order whenever you need inspiration or want to reflect on the many wonderful teachings that the classics - whether they be books, music, movies, art or past-times - can bring to our modern lives.  You all mean so much to me, and I wish you a wonderful 2022!  I like to keep a record of the books that I read through out the year, and this year I read over 30 books. I'm always pleased to read at least 26 books a year - which equates to a book a fortnight. Not great, but pretty good for a part-time teacher, full-time mother and wife who lo...

Nobody can think less of dress in general than I do. Do you remember when Mrs Weston said this in Emma ? We all knew she didn't mean it of course, but was rather fixated on complimenting others, in order to receive many compliments in return. There is nothing wrong with being concerned about our dress and how we present ourselves to the world. Being fixated  on it, however, is another thing  altogether. I believe how we choose to dress (yes, this is definitely an area of our lives where our choices can dictate how well we live) can have significant impacts on how we feel about ourselves, how we view the world (and ourselves), how others view us, and how we actually want to live. If, like me, you want to live well, then let's explore the classics for some tips on how to dress well, find our personal style, and ultimately live better.  I think if there is anything that the classics can teach us about a personal style, it is that less is more . So many of the great ladies (a...

As we are fast approaching Christmas and all that holiday encompasses in our modern times, I thought it would be nice to remind ourselves of something important. I chose this particular quote, because try as we might, we may get caught up in the glitz and glamour of present giving and feel disappointed when we open those presents and see what is inside - or rather what isn't  inside. I know that many readers have recently celebrated Thanksgiving, which focuses heavily on gratitude but for those of us who don't celebrate it, this is also a nice time to be reminded of the things we have and for which we should be grateful.  Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher, which explains quite a bit about this particular quote. The beauty of the Stoic philosophers was that they came from very different backgrounds, bringing their own unique experiences and up-bringings into their philosophy. Epictetus, for example, was born a slave, whereas Marcus Aurelius was an emperor....

  It's not as strange as it sounds looking to Jane Austen for health and wellbeing tips. Her books are littered with references to "health and happiness", "glowing health", "cheerful dispositions" and "blooms full of health." And her tips and tricks for a healthy and happy life aren't as wild as you might think. There is no sweating it out at a gym or counting calories. People ate as well as they could afford to, although mostly in moderation (those who were known to 'pig out' were often gently mocked or criticised). The tips I have included here will not surprise you. There are, for the most part, common sense. General regard for one's wellbeing was common and the necessary care was taken to ensure that people were able to return to their full health, if unwell.  Take the time to recover properly “Jane caught a bad cold, poor thing! so long ago as the 7th of November, (as I am going to read to you,) and has never been well si...