It's a Classical Life

Schopenhauer said, "A constant flow of thoughts expressed by other people can staunch and deaden your own thoughts and your initiative." Do you ever feel that way? That the compelling words available to us now, 24/7 are often taking over our own thoughts and initiatives? There is so much information available to us now that we must grow in our ability to be discerning and critical thinkers.  Instead of stopping reading (or listening) altogether, I highly recommend demonstrating a level of discernment when it comes to choosing which information to allow into your mind. Are you focusing on the words of a classicist that still ring true today or are the words the long-winded ramblings of someone who speaks without thinking? As we all know, there are many people online who are more than happy to share their opinions and ideas, and what we take on as our own ideas requires a high level of discernment and critical thinking before appropriation. Sometimes we can get caught up with ...

Wendell Berry is a well-known and much loved American writer and environmental activist. If you are thinking of learning more about agrarian living, moving away from technology towards a more simple lifestyle or just like poems like this one, then Berry's writing is a wonderful place to start.  Normally I don't use a whole poem like this one as Bitesize Inspiration but I will keep my comments brief. To me, the peace and hope that this poem radiates is palpable. Berry doesn't dismiss the harshness or despair that the world can hold - in fact, he embraces it as a given and finds a simple antidote that can be recreated by anyone who feels the same.  As I mentioned in Friday's post about the garden, there is something soul-nourishing about being with wild things, even in the more domesticated setting of a suburban garden. As someone who worries more than is necessary being able to put some space between the world and my thoughts is always a blessing. For me, being outdoors ...

This January has been a bit atypical in the garden. November and December were very hot here in south-east Australia and a lot of the grass died off earlier than usual. January, however, has been peppered with cooler days and rain. Generally it is the time that we get some of our worst thunderstorms which have arrived this week. The days have been 30*C plus and then there are storms at night. We even had hail this week, but thankfully they were only tiny pieces and didn't do any damage.  Spending time in the garden is always a relaxing and therapeutic activity for me. This year I have decided I'd like to cultivate more flowers in the garden; something that I find even more enjoyable and less strenuous than vegetable growing! Last year when I dropped my bundle I spent very little time in the garden - and I'm beginning to think that one may have been affected by the other. There is something so mindful, grateful and grounding about working with soil, plants, animals and natur...

John Burroughs said that the smallest deed is better than the greatest intention. At this time of year everyone is talking about intentions and setting goals for the new year . I don't think there is anything wrong with that at all. In fact, I enjoy setting a new word each year to guide my thoughts, actions, way of living and attitude in the coming year. These are all things that I try and do constantly anyway to live a healthier, more mindful simple life. I see this (or these) word more as a guiding light than a rigid goal that must be abided by (I tend to rebel when I impose too many restrictions or boundaries on myself 😏). Before setting a goal, or guiding light as I'm calling them this year, it's important to have a conversation with yourself and really figure out what's going well in your life. Don't think of problems that need to be fixed - instead view things in a more positive light. What do you want more of this year? What do you need to guide you to the l...

Each morning I try and get up early enough to do 10-15 minutes of meditation, followed by some reading and then journalling. I have been using the Insight Timer app for a number of years for meditation, contemplative prayer and listening to gentle music. I love it. Every morning there is a new quote of inspiration and a couple of days ago I saw this one by John Boynton Priestley. Before this, I hadn't heard of Priestley - an English playwright, social commentator and novelist. I love it when I come across a quote that speaks to me without knowing anything about the author. Firstly, it gives me the chance to mull over the quote in my time without any bias of who said it, in what context or what they were referring to. However, if I so choose, I can research into it and find out more about the context.  This quote spoke to me because last year I wondered whether it was worth continuing on with my blog. Was this a form of communication that mattered? Was I even saying anything n...

  Paula Vince, over at Vince Review has come up with a reading challenge for 2025 that I would love to join, so I thought that I would share with you how I get on throughout the year. I currently don't have any reading goals for 2025 so this little challenge should be fun and easy to commit to. In fact, I already have a few titles in mind to fit each of the categories, but there are some that I am going to do have to do some research for.  If you would like to see Paula's original post, you can see it here . Basically, she is inspired to read more Australian literature and has stipulated that each novel must have an Australian setting and not simply an Australian author. I think it's really important to support Australian authors and literature, and as I tend to gravitate towards European or American classics, I am keen for the challenge. Australian literature really does have a flavour all of its own and I have read embarrassingly little of it. This is something that I wo...

"I imagine we are none of us what may be called rich, though we all possess a genteel competency, sufficient for tastes that are elegant and refined, and would not, if they could, be vulgarly ostentatious.” Cranford, Elizabeth Cranford 1904 I know that q uiet luxury  is a not a recent or new trend but recently I was watching a simple living blogger on Youtube who made a comment that made me stop and think. She said that many people who follow the quiet luxury trend aren't actually rich but are simply trying to appear wealthy and that that particular trend is not in alignment with simple living.  I sat with her words for a while, not entirely sure that I agreed with them. I realised that her interpretation of the term "quiet luxury" and mine didn't match up. For her, it was a focus on wearing expensive clothing and jewellery and even going into debt to appear that one was more wealthy than they actually were. There are some people trying to appear rich and luxurio...

  Happy 2025! The New Year was welcomed quite gently this year with family visiting, dinner eaten outside, cricket, an evening stroll, movies, games and finally watching the fireworks at midnight on the television. It was relaxed and joyful and I am hoping, will set the tone for the coming year. 2024 ran away with me. I lost a lot of direction, felt overwhelmed and fell back into old habits that did not improve either my mental health or my bank balance. I stopped blogging, which saddened me and enabled me to move even further away from the intentional and slow lifestyle that I so craved. In the last couple of months of the year I decided that I needed to make a change. I began to wake early and meditate. I watched the sun rise. I tried to consistently take an evening stroll once the heat of the day had passed. And I began to research the concept of a no-buy year for 2025. There are more than a few articles, Youtube videos, blog posts and personal accounts on the internet that disc...