It's a Classical Life

 Have you ever heard the term "slow literary living"? I think it was Gracie from Austen and Alcotts who used the term and I thought it sounded lovely. It truly encompasses what I hope to achieve in my own life and here on the blog. I imagine it to mean a slow life, inspired by books and literature. I love not only to read about slow and simple living in classic literature, but I also love to hear and be inspired by people who are living a slow and literary life in our modern world.  Living this kind of life is a deliberate choice; it will not happen by accident. It is quite in opposition to how we live our modern lives and requires commitment and determination. We have discussed  knowing ourselves and having a purpose here on the blog, something that has come up in a number of classics discussed here. By knowing what you value you are in a position to commit to these values and make the choices necessary to live the life you want.  We don't necessarily need to rel...

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 s...