It's a Classical Life

  Well hello there! How are you? It's so lovely that you've made time to come back here. Life has been pretty busy lately. My studies have picked up again, my husband is starting a new job, family and friends have been visiting and life has passed by pretty quickly. I've been reading as much as I can (which is never as much as I'd like). I recently read Far From the Madding Crowd (1874) by Thomas Hardy and loved it so much that I sought out more bucolic type stories.  From Lark Rise to Candleford (1945) has been my on my shelf for over a year. I borrowed it from my sister-in-law and when she came to visit recently meant to give it back to her, unread. However, I forgot and thought it might be providential and that perhaps I really should read it. I got about three pages in and wondered how I hadn't picked it up earlier! I love it. It describes the everyday life of people in the small hamlet of Lark Rise in the late nineteenth century. I love this detail. It reminds ...

  Our perspective, or how we choose to look at things, is absolutely something that we have control over. Some may argue that our bad outlook on life isn't our fault, it's due to past trauma or a wrong that was never made right, but I truly believe that how we choose to look at life is entirely up to us. It might take a while to train our thoughts, but if we always choose to rejoice because thorn bushes have roses , then we are choosing hope and we are choosing optimism.  This lovely quote was taken from the rose gardens of the Botanic Gardens that I visited recently. It was painted on the ceiling of a gorgeous pagoda in the middle of the roses, with other wise rose-inspired quotes. This one, however, was a reminder to me (and I thought you might like it too) that as we are approaching a new year, how we see things matters. How I choose to look at my life, obstacles, challenges and all, are all a matter of perspective. I can complain that my roses have thor...

  This week's Bitesize Inspiration is slightly different in that it has come out of a novel that I am currently reading, The Tiger in the Smoke  by Margery Allingham (1952). It is not a quote from a philosopher, a famous author, a scientist or a religious leader. It's also quite a controversial one, but I wanted to share it with you and see what you think.  " Normally he was the happiest of men. He asked so little of life that its frugal bounty amazed and delighted him." The character to whom this quote refers hasn't yet taken a substantial role in the story, yet this wonderful image draws such a special picture that I can't help but want to know more.  The next sentence goes on to add: " The older he grew and the poorer he became, the calmer and more contented appeared his fine gentle face." He is a man with a vivid imagination, who believes in miracles, and whose house "had mellowed, just as he had, with care and use and quiet living . "...

  There are so many things that I love about this quote. We have talked about happiness here before, sometimes touching on views of happiness that may seem counter-cultural. Angelou's beautiful quote incorporates two important, often over-looked factors of happiness: Firstly, t hat happiness is a choice and secondly that to be happy contains a certain level of responsibility. I don't think she is implying that we are responsible for the happiness or emotions of other people. On the contrary, I think she means that we will struggle to find real happiness or contentment within us if we don't reach out to others who may be struggling or in need of help. Doing good things for others is a fundamental part of happiness. So what does this look like? It can be small, everyday actions for friends and family. It can be volunteering your time with charity organisations. It can be random acts of kindness for strangers. All of these add light to the darkness for others and...

  Have you heard of Albert Einstein's 'Theory of Happiness?' If not, here it is! It's fairly straight forward and reminds me of the scripture from the Bible, Ecclesiastes 4:6. It is not ground breaking nor is it difficult to attain, and yet in a world where we are more unhappy, more discontent and more disillusioned than ever before, perhaps it still feels unattainable to some people. We are told by society to do more, to be more, to strive for ever higher goals and once you get on that hamster wheel it becomes very difficult to get off. If you are just starting out your adult life, perhaps Einstein's theory can help be a guide. For those of us half-way through our lives or even in the last quarter, it's not too late to avoid the constant unrest and aim for a quiet and modest life.  Einstein wrote this piece of advice down in 1922, so we are one hundred years on and it seems, even further away from achieving this goal. Perhaps, in the next one hundred years we w...

Rumi was a Persian born Sufi mystic and poet. He has left a legacy of deep mindfulness and words that have touched the souls of generations. He is known for many inspiring quotes, thoughts and poems, but I chose this one in particular simply because I thought now, if ever, was the perfect time to think of those around us and to be a light for them.  So many people are suffering at the moment. It is so easy to be brought down. Now is the time to reach out and help, even if we ourselves are struggling. Our culture tells us now is the time for "self-care" but I believe that more than caring for ourselves, caring for those we love and those in our community will do wonders for our own sense of well-being. Perhaps it is as simple as donating your time or money to a charity close to your heart, reaching out to a friend you haven't spoken to in a while, or having a cuddle with a child who is feeling a little worried.  What do you think? Is now the time that you co...

    "Here's harmony!" said she, "Here's repose! Here's what may leave all painting and music behind, and what poetry only can attempt to describe. Here's what may tranquilize every care, and lift the heart to rapture! When I look out on such a night as this, I feel as if there could be neither wickedness nor sorrow in the world; and there certainly would be less of both if the sublimity of Nature were more attended to, and people were carried more out of themselves by contemplating such a scene."                                                                                                                        Mansfield Park ...

We have loved A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh  for many years. We have loved it in its classic novel form, in sweet abridged versions for little hands and big dreamers, in movies and in movie adaptations. At the end of last year I also read a book by Benjamin Hoff (1982) called The Tao of Pooh  which brought all of the wisdom of Milne's beloved character (and his friends) together in one eye-opening experience.  Hoff does a great job linking the wisdom of Pooh to the ancient Chinese philosophy of Tao Te Ching (the Tao Virtue Book) so I won't attempt to re-create that here. I highly recommend reading the book if you are interested in Eastern philosophies (with a modern, western twist). What I will discuss here, however, are some of the important lessons gleamed from both on how to live well. You may be surprised at how much wisdom and insight our favourite Pooh Bear can show in this area! Lesson #1 - When you know yourself, everything else falls into place I think that this i...

       On the wall at the right a strip of  board  ran the whole length and in it were driven nails on which to hang dishpans, dish towels, colanders and other kitchen utensils....The wall was shelved the whole length. The top shelf was only a short space from the ceiling, and from it down, spaces between the shelves were wider until there was room for tall pitchers and other dishes to stand on the lower shelf. Beneath the lowest shelf was a row of drawers as well made and fitted as boughten furniture. There was a large wide drawer that already held a sack of white flour, a smaller on with graham flour, another with corn meal, a large shallow one for packages, and two others: one already filled with white sugar and the other with brown.                                             The First Four Years - Laura Ingalls Wilder In a h...