Day 326/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
At this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere the end of harvest celebrations culminate in Thanksgiving. In the Southern Hemisphere we are fully immersed in the bounty of Spring. At no other time of year is the weather so deliciously mild, life is emerging in the garden, the berries and fruits are ripening in time for Christmas, the frogs croak in the creek each evening and the morning chorus is loud with new born families in every nest. For this I too can give thanks.
I am so grateful for the beauty of the world around me, and the giving that begins in Spring with melons ripening to add to my breakfast bowl of fruits and home-made yoghurt. Pumpkin vines reaching out far and wide with the promise of delicious pumpkin as our year again turns inward in a few months. There's nothing quite like the sound of bees in the garden or all over the neighbour's unkempt yard, overgrown with dandelions to the bees' delight.
As I write I'm resting in my newly rearranged living room, looking out onto a vista of greenery, listening to the various birdcalls. A pair of doves nesting close by, a magpie's serenade, the tweet of wagtails. The neighbourhood darks bark from time to time, children's voices, a motobike roaring on a road nearby. The sounds of life all around me. My heart is full.
Today is Sunday, not my usual cleaning day. I've cleaned and polished and tidied and rearranged. It was time. My life begins anew right now, and now I'm enjoying it.
"All we have it all we need", is Sarah's declaration. I agree, and I am appreciating this inspiration to observe, note and give thanks.
366 days Towards Self-Mastery
When I considered my New Year's intentions for 2020 I had just one: To allow my heart to love what it loved...and let it lead me. (If not now, then when?)
I've spent months working on integrating my life. To live life more fully with my home life, my interests, my work, my responsibilities, all coming together, all connected. I want to give each the attention that they desire and need, and still have time and energy for the others. That means living and working from the heart.
As I was clearing out my bookshelf over the Christmas break I discovered Simple Abundance. I set it aside to explore it on New Year's Day as I lazed through another delicious day of nothingness. Sarah, the author, says this book is about living in grace. Living in grace I realised, is about Self-Mastery.
My thirst for understanding the human condition has driven me all my life, and hand-in-hand with self-mastery it has been a life-long goal. And seeing as I love to write, that living in grace is about self-mastery, and I love a bit of a challenge, then if I am truly going to let my heart lead, I really don't have any other choice. So scary as it feels, I'm starting out on a daily mission of leaning into the suggestions of this daybook and making a daily post to keep me accountable. If not now, then when?
I'm Josie. You can find out a little more about me here.
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy: by Sarah Ban Breathnach.
This book is written for the Australian and NZ market because it refers to seasonal changes. It's available on Amazon here if you'd like to follow along.