Day 240/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
At one time in my life I lived in the most beautiful designer home. Fit for the pages of modern architecture magazines, this 3 level home on the beachfront was truly magnificent.
The walls were adorned with stunning original art pieces, the interior was beautifully polished and minimalist, the courtyard was a well designed and crafted miniature garden space, the appliances were top of the range.
Yet it had no soul.
In that home I existed. My creativity was so subsumed by the desperate tone of my life there, that even my love of food and cooking were reduced to using only one element on an 8 element gas stove top.
On just one occasion I invited friends over for a meal and their words still ring in my ears, "Where are you here, Josie!" I was nowhere to be found.
There is something beautiful and lively in making a house a home. To bring yourself into it by adding touches of your style everywhere. If you have the opportunity to design your own home that's awesome.
How you craft your living spaces is an opportunity to dig deep into your own soul and bring it out for everyone to enjoy.
There's a lovely trend to repaint furniture at present, and it's one I can subscribe to. Reusing old relics, bringing them back into service by adding colour to the complement the richness of timber is my way of restoring them to add freshness and charm to my spaces.
Home-making can be a craft in itself. From furnishings to quirky candelabras, rustic outdoor furniture to garden ornaments salvaged from the recycle centre, there is beauty in everything that expresses something about yourself as you bring joy and self to those personal spaces that you choose to share with family and friends.
If you have no time to begin or learn a new home craft and you want to bring more of you into your spaces, perhaps begin by restoring something that you already have. For very little outlay you can bring a small table of chest of drawers to life with colour and stencils. I have my eye on one of my pieces already.
There's something immensely pleasurable in being surrounded by simple, exotic or esoteric expressions of your own personality.
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.