Day 217/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
Languid, lazy days of wistful bliss with absolutely nothing of importance to do except to indulge in the all-important art of simply being.
Conditioned into frenetic energy, hard work, forging forward, carving out a life as if the tiger was on my tail or the wolf at my door, it's taken everything I've got to calm the f*^k down and relax.
All that hard work ethic wires your nervous system to hype. Always on, always up, always on the go.
Regaled as a desirable value, what it really is, is a sympathetic nervous system on steroids. It's exhausting. It wears you out mentally, emotionally and physically. It ain't living your best life!
Delicious idleness on the other hand opens the space to smell the coffee, enjoy the morning chorus, watch the butterflies dance through the crisp morning air, reflect on forgotten memories, laugh together, sleep deeply, wake refreshed, pat the cat as she purs with delight and utter entitlement, prepare a delectable meal slowly and carefully, luxuriate in a long hot bath with candlelight.
And write a post a dawn, snuggled warmly between the duvet, with a hot mug of coffee, as I listen to my kitty snoring softly in her luxurious bed in the corner of my bedroom.
Don't wait until you're burnt out, suffering from insomnia, exhausted. Schedule in some idle time. No better time than the present when we're forced to work from home and spend more time with the people closest to us in the surroundings that are supposed to be our haven.
Capture moments or hours of idleness when it works best. Maybe that's a weekend day that fits with your conditioned 9-5 Monday to Friday mindset. Or maybe you have the flexibility to schedule it into your weekdays.
Stare at the moon, sit in the sunlight, walk on the beach. Drop your shoulders and let your feet sink into the earth.
Take a long slow breath out.
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.