Making room for others

Day 126/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.

It is a delightful memory, the making of our home and garden for my 6 year old and myself.

Right now I live in my home alone. I adore the freedom that this state of affairs brings.

A parade of memories of shared homes and spaces flood through my mind. Such fun to write about them here.

Sarah speaks of this as passages. I like that description. Passages of life's memories as people come and go through my life and homes.

My original family home housed 10 of us in 4 bedrooms. With masterful creativity my mother managed to give us each a space of our own with which to grow into as our age and schooling demanded. Of course as time passed, the numbers declined as the older family members left to explore life on their terms. With wide open spaces outside, I never felt crowded nor imposed upon, content to live in close quarters was all that I knew and understood.

My most fond memories are of making space was for our homes together with my little boy. With baskets of toys and lego, meccano sets and wooden blocks, piles of books and stacks of music on discs, disney movie videos, and antique china, we crafted a space in which we both loved and lived happily.

As the passage of time took us into his teens a space for teen antics was created with big screens and gaming consoles, couches for friends and private space to hide away.

And now as I live alone and he lives not too far away, a room is modelled to welcome him home as and when he needs to touch base with the stability and security that home brings. With home-crafted art that speaks to his sense of style, and colours that match his preferences, he lives on, here, even if intermittently. Part of him belongs here.

Making room for others involves fitting our lives into others without losing our own sense of style and self. Blending of personalities and preferences to craft a sense of shared life.

It's not about affordability or designer living or size of what others think. It's about allowing your life to express itself in what you have available.

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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.