It's a Classical Life

  As you know,  I've been reading the Stoics a bit lately, and came across this quote from Marcus Aurelius in his book, Mediations. I absolutely fell in love with it. I love the word "dwell" and how here it is use for such a positive message. Usually it is associated with negative connotations - dwell on the past, dwell on the bad things, dwell on uncertainty...and so on. But this quote reminds us to dwell on the beauty of life. It amazes me that the "mindfulness  movement" has gained such popularity in recent years when two thousand years ago (at least), it was already a movement and people were urged to take stock of their lives and enjoy the little things.  I thought long and hard about the second part of the quote - watch the stars and see yourself running with them . I came up with this thought: the stars move slowly. They do  move, but it's slow and requires a lot of patience to see them go. They move on a steady, predictable path and nothing can stop...

  I know that many of you may be experiencing hotter than usual temperatures, and I really feel for you. Extreme summer can be such a tough time to endure. I hope that wherever you are, you can find cool moments in your day to rest and relax. For those of you that are walking through winter with me, how is your winter garden going? Extreme weather can really impact our food supply, especially if we are dependant on our gardens for food security. Additionally, it can affect our farmers who provide produce for our local shops and markets. We haven't had much luck at all in the garden this year - even summer was a dud after a severe hail storm took out our flowering fruit trees and plants. But, on a more positive note, I thought I would take you all on a little walk-through my winter garden in which I have been working this past week. It doesn't look like much, I know, but every little bit helps! As Charles Kingsley tells us in his poem, My Winter Garden, is it not worth mor...

  Welcome to another week here at It's a Classical Life! I am so glad that you could stop by. I have been reading the news and see that our northern hemisphere friends are suffering through heatwaves, and those of us here in Australia are also experiencing wetter than usual temperatures and also very cold weather. It's funny how much of an impact weather can have on our mindsets. I find it very easy to let my self-discipline slip when the weather is in an extreme state. Discipline in regards to writing, housework, getting ahead, exercise - all areas, really! I'm very good at making excuses not to get things done, and the weather is one I use a lot! If you have visited here before then you will know that I am a big Agatha Christie fan. As I read so many of her novels, it's easy to gain inspiration from her, her characters and her own beliefs. I chose this quote for this week's Bitesize Inspiration because I am ready to 'submit to the discipline of form.' We ...

  Happy Tuesday, friends! Sorry that this week's bitesize inspiration is a day late. We had a lovely visit from my sister and her children and I got a bit behind. I wondered about posting this quote from French mathematician, physicist and theologian, Blaise Pascal, because I really try and promote positive thoughts and inspiration, but I decided to do it anyway just in case this is something we need to think on right now. With social media so prevalent in so many of our lives I have to wonder if we do start to believe in imaginary lives - our own or others'. The fact that Pascal lived four hundred years ago and still made this observation blew my mind. But I suppose it shouldn't have; one of the truths of It's a Classical Life is that by reading the classics we can see quite clearly how what we experience in our life - both good and bad - isn't really new. We can gain comfort from reading the experiences of those who have come before us and often not feel so alone ...

It has been a while since we have had some Tolstoy inspiration, so I thought this quote from my copy of Tolstoy's Book of Wisdom seemed particularly pertinent. Peace is a fundamental component of a good life, any good life, and Tolstoy's formula for achieving peace is one worth contemplating. By including humility in this definition, we are going against the grain of common belief (again) which claims that we should be ready to defend our views and attack those who don't agree with us. This may work for you in standing up for your convictions, but does it bring you peace? The last few weeks have been rather hectic around here, but this morning I rose early, had my tea, and did some meditation. It has been a long time since I meditated and I can still feel the peace and calm that it has brought me on this cold, wintery morning. I hope that you are all well and that you find some peace in your lives today. 

  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...

I don't think it comes as a surprise to any of us to hear that the cost of living is going through the roof at the moment. Everything that we need to live on, is increasing in price. Fuel, groceries, pet food, essential health products - you name it!  As I was compiling last week's Tidbits , I was thinking that it was probably very timely to look at what the Classics can teach us about living well, on a budget. Although many of our favourite classics deal with the wealthy, middle and upper class of British Society (a la Jane Austen), there is still so much to learn and many others from whom we can take our example.  1. Keep a garden Initially, the set up of keeping a garden can be a bit cost prohibitive but it can be worth it in the long run. The more that we can produce at home, especially essentials like fruit and vegetables, the less we need to pay at out at the shops. There are also the additional benefits that food grown or made at home tastes so much better than st...

L.M. Montgomery's classic series, Anne of Green Gables has so many ways in which it can inspire us and encourage us to live our lives well. The main character, Anne Shirley views life in a way that seems excessive to our more modern way of thinking, which is one of the reasons why I love her so much! Her deep way of feeling - both the highs and the lows - can sometimes be exhausting to bear (just ask Marilla!) but it also shows a profound love of living. Life is made up of these tiny awesome moments. We deserve to take the time to savour them. To feel deeply is just one way that we can savour moments throughout out day, something that seems to be shouted at us from every self-help website around! Mindfulness is not necessarily Anne's aim, in fact, I don't think she has an aim to live in any particular way. She is true to herself and confesses that she simply cannot be any other way. It is the way that Anne savours the moment that I want to focus on today. I hope these four ...

    "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 ...

  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...