When my husband and I were in Mendocino for the month, we had clear objectives: paint the garage, tend to the garden with new gravel and mulch, weed and trim the beds, as well as feed the roses. One evening I said, “Let’s spend one day doing something completely indulgent. We can fix a picnic lunch, drive to the Anderson Valley, and go wine tasting.” Basically, I wanted to live like a tourist for just one single day. It was heaven. I think we all need to give ourselves permission to have this kind of a day every so often, a day of slow living, an unstructured day without a list or a goal to be accomplished. I have been contemplating a blog with a different format, but am not exactly sure how to recreate a slow life in a fast-paced environment of the internet. I am mulling this over for now.
Thank you for all of your comments on my last post. I have decided to not answer each of you individually, but want you to know that I cherish your ideas, support, and wisdom. Until I can get back, please know you are all in my thoughts more often than you can comprehend.
I like the idea of being tourist in life. It seems like I always say to myself……It is O.K. to do this. It must be our upbringing!
Enjoy and Happy Mother’s Day!
This is what I treasure when we go to our place south. My entire body rhythm changes, plus, I give myself permission to just relax. I never spend an hour in the middle of the day here in the north just reading a book-I’m too wrapped up cleaning, organizing, even gardening at a hectic pace. Yet, once south I can lay on the couch or rock on the porch at high noon with a book and a glass of sweet tea. I’m trying harder to accomplish that same feeling at home.
Love, Nancy
Slow living!! Yes, yes, yes. This makes me remember that once my husband and I booked a hotel just a few blocks away in downtown Austin. We pretended to be tourists. We walked all over downtown, went to a couple of art museums, ate dinner out, and returned to our hotel. It all felt very luxurious. Austin felt different, too. It was an out-of-town experience in our own hometown. And the next day we only had to drive a few blocks to get back home again!! xo Kari
Days like that are very important…
It is so important to give ourselves permission to “play”
once in a while. Even the simplest things can make a big difference. Slowing down is good!
I have a philosophy that a life lived to the full is one that somehow manages the precarious task of finding a balance between opposite or extreme positions most of the time; for example, we cannot fully enjoy times of relaxation without periods of intense activity, we cannot experience true inner peace without knowing what it is like to be at ‘war’ with ones self over seemingly impossible situations or decisions. Tragedy or loss, be it the death of a loved one, relationship, or other disappointment is of course a part of all our lives, but this can be juxtaposed with the purest joy of creation, be it the birth of a child, an idea, a creative project or a new relationship etc.
Coming to terms with this juxtaposition of opposites and all the different nuances between is what keeps the human world of ideas, activity and emotion turning. I think we can find this place of balance, peace and calm more easily as we grow older, as we have so many experiences to refer to and learn from.
I wish you all the best as you decide on the new format for your blog, I am sure you will find a way to explore your wonderful ideas, musings and experiences online in a way that feels just right for you. Take care, untill we meet again, soon, Lois xxx
Great wisdom. Lois. You are absolutely right in everything you have expressed, and it would serve me well to go back and re-read this periodically when I am feeling overwhelmed. I want to grow old enough to find the balance and also to be at peace with all the details that tend to weigh me down too much of the time. I do think the pace in which we all live is simply a little too much sometimes, and I think we all need to find a time and place where we can simply check out and feel restored. That said, your wisdom is strong and true and worth many readings. I appreciate your giving the time and careful thought to expressing this.
Hi Phyllis, I’m glad you are taking it slow and easy. I also don’t mind at all that you answer back with a group response instead of to each person individually. I am taking today to visit all my favorite blogs and just say hello to everyone I love, and then you may not hear from me all week, or all month, who knows? But you, Phyllis, are always in my thoughts. It is the growing season, time for me to really let my creative juices rise up and run over, in the studio. So not so much time to blog back to my fiber arts friends. Hope you are finding lots of inspiration too with this lovely weather and new moon coming on.
You have figured out a way to be there sometimes and be absent others and still be at peace with both manners of being. I find this inspiring as well as hopeful. I am guessing it all boils down to how we approach everything, how we perceive things and evaluate and judge them. I think you have reached the age that Lois described in her comment about finding peace and calm and balance as we age. Such an example to follow is my goal, and you have raised the standard to a very fine level. Thank you, Julia. I will be back in strong form again soon.