It's a Classical Life

  Menedem, or Menedemus, was a Greek philosopher who lived between the third and fourth centuries BC. I found this quote in Tolstoy's Calendar of Wisdom, a book I've talked about here before and I thought it was just beautiful. It sounds so simple and yet we seem to struggle with this concept. We look for happiness in material things, in over-indulgence, in our own discontent which leads on to more, more and more. More everything. I think sometimes we forget how much we already have, and what a blessing it is. There is much to be said for an attitude of gratitude! I remember travelling when I was young. For our honeymoon, my husband and I visited family in South America. These lovely people welcomed us into their home (which consisted of two rooms and a compacted dirt floor). They shared their wonderful food with us and invited more friends and family around to be with us. It was a very special time. Later, we met an uncle who sold jewellery in a popular tourist market. He wasn...

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,                                                                     When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don’t give up though the pace seems slow- You may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor’s cup, And he learned too late when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown. Success is failure turn...

I don't know much about Amelia Earhart, other than the obvious, but I imagine that she must have been a warm-hearted person to make such a comment. Before "random acts of kindness" were a cool, social media trend, Earhart was already reflecting on their ability to spread, multiply and subsequently make the world a better place. When someone does something unexpectedly kind for us, it can really make our day! And, in turn, we feel inspired to pass on that feeling through another act of kindness. It does not have to be random. It does not have to be to a stranger. Yesterday, my daughter had an exam and I sent her a little email wishing her good luck and included a gif of a cartoon panda with pom poms. I said we were "cheering her on!" She didn't see it before her exam, but did see it afterwards and replied saying, thanks Mum, you're so sweet! And she was grinning when she came home in the afternoon. It only took me a minute but she returned the act to me a...

Welcome back to It's a Classical Life. If you popped by last week then you know that this week I am sharing Part Two of Life Lessons from Homer's Odyssey. You can read Part One here if you missed it. Dear Paula at Vince Review  sent me a message saying she appreciated the homey tips I included. Funny, when I wrote the article I considered them life lessons, but I suppose they did relate a lot to homemaking as well! I guess in my mind, life and home go hand in hand. If one area isn't working, then it's likely that the other area won't be either. Anyway, let's move on to the next 8 lessons from Homer's The Odyssey.    9. Be self-sufficient "...in the ancient world, the survival of any household depends on its ability to feed itself. Anyone who threatens the economic self-sufficiency of a family is, in the long term, threatening its very survival." ( Introduction; Peter Jones ).  This quote is still so pertinent today! We can even replace "hous...

  Have you heard that saying, bloom where you're planted?  Macaulay's quote today is based on that thought, but builds a deep foundation within it. Yes, it is a good thing to be able to thrive where we are in our life but look what she is also saying - "glad are we when we don't fret about what cannot be changed at that time ." We have a lot of choices in our lives these days, more than what our ancestors ever did. Sometimes we can change our jobs, we can change where we live, we can even change our life partners. And sometimes we can't - or we can but we choose not to because it would be too difficult/doesn't align with our beliefs/or simply is not convenient at that time.  Time has become a precious commodity, both as a society and for us as individuals. Sometimes we think that if something can't be done straight away then it isn't worth trying. I often felt this way when I wanted to leave my teaching job. For me, it would become a sense of  it m...

  One of the earliest examples of epic poetry, the story of Odysseus and his return from the Trojan War, is a true classic. The more I read it, the more I am able to see so many pertinent lessons on how to live life well. I read through the whole thing in 2020 however I find it so poignant that I continue to flick through it and read passages for inspiration. I have a notebook and pen handy as I read, ready to make notes and today I want to share some of the life lessons that I have come across with you. If you are not familiar with the book, there is a comprehensive overview of each book (or section)  here . As there is so much to cover, I have split this post into two seperate posts. This week we will be covering the first eight life lessons.  The first four books of The Odyssey do not have Odysseus in them, rather the story begins in his palace in Ithaca with his son Telemachus and his wife Penelope. These are the life lessons that I've appreciated throughout the poem....

  Russell is right on the money here. No fear, no hatred, no jealousy. If we are carrying those things around with us everyday - consistently and emphatically - then we are doing ourselves little favour towards living a good life.  Here on the blog my goal is to live a good life inspired by the classics. Sometimes my posting gets a bit sporadic, but I don't beat myself up over it, because life happens. And I'd rather be living life - even the hard, messy bits - then trying to keep up with a posting schedule. If you notice that I haven't posted, then feel free to send me a quick email. Otherwise know that I am fine and well and enjoying reading the classics or learning something new. Usually with a cup of tea in my hand. Some of you may know that I recently left a teaching career after more than fifteen years. It was a big impediment to my living the life I wanted. In doing so, however, I have had to re-train for the first time since I was twenty! I am ...