Thursday Thoughts...

“One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats.” 

 Iris Murdoch

As we begin a new year, it is nice to ponder how it might unfurl and unfold.  I like to stop and think about the things I'd like to do again, the things I'd like to not do again; and the general way in which my days will be...

I know it doesn't work to a plan like that; but I do think I need to have some agency in how I live. I need to be active, rather than passive, in choices and decisions about how I spend my days.

Barry and I choose a word each morning from our bowl of words. We think about it during the day; and we think about how we might bring that aspect into our day.  On New Year's Day it all feels slightly more portentous - that somehow the word could guide our year, not only our day.

This year our two words were: nurturing and abundance.

That certainly felt good!  So we are still discussing, as is our way, what nurturing might look like for us; what it might mean and how we can embrace it on a daily basis.  And abundance - it too is taking a little while to show us how we can have and bring abundance into our daily lives, but we are enjoying the thought!

And so this little quote felt like it fitted right in with nurturing.  I often think its the little moments, the little treats that help us more than they look like they should.  Barry I often treat ourselves to a coffee in town - it feels special and a treat for sure.  These little things make us smile and feel as if we are being kind to ourselves.  They can feel like a wee circuit breaker; a little bit of time out from crazy busy-ness.

What a great insight this is into a happy life...

I was trying to find an image of nurturing - and funnily enough this quiet, elegant glass vase with flower stem seemed right. I found this entire exhibition by Shohei Fujita in Tokyo in 2016 truly nurturing...it filled my soul and was an utter delight. A real treat.

Certainly not an image for abundance tho!