Day 117/366 days Towards Self-Mastery.
How much we take for granted in this magnificent life of ours.
Until I read this morning's inspiration from Sarah, I did not realise that one of the greatest traumas a person can experience is the loss of hearing. That made me feel sad. Many in my family suffer from the loss of, or near complete loss of hearing.
Most of use are so lucky to have the full potential of our sense of hearing.
The beautiful sounds of life itself that I so often take for granted are lost to those who cannot hear.
During your day, take care to stop and listen to the sounds around you.
It's true that I listen to the morning chorus each morning, but it is only this year that I notice the difference between the spring chorus and that of autumn.
The kookaburras are waking later as they herald in the first signs of light for the new day.
Each morning I stand by flowering shrubs in my garden to listen to the sound of bees as they busily go about collecting pollen.
Tabasca purring at my feet in the early morning is a welcome an comforting sound.
Water running in the creek beds as I walk along the boardwalks from my home is so delightful to the ears. The rustle of leaves in the trees, the scurrying sound of water dragons as they rush through the forest floor and glide quietly into the water.
The cheerful chatter of 2 little boys as they play on they bikes in my street is such a delight. The distant conversations of neighbours as we are all settled into a quieter life, the busyiness taken by our need to stay home.
A lawn mower starting down the street, a noisy coffee machine competing with loud music in cafes with raised voices of patrons trying to be heard over both, all expressions of life living itself.
The alarm that pierces my ears when my washing machine finishes its cycle is one sound that I find very irritating, yet the sound of the refrigerator cycling through the night is a reminder that I am home.
There are many genres of music that I simply adore, yet mostly I settle for the sounds of silence in my home in order to hear the music of life itself, the sounds of the earth in the early morning and the moon and starts at night.
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.