I’m in a good space at the moment.
The wacko menopausal health issues seem to be in check for now, my men are doing well, and life is gentle.
With both boys now out of school, the rhythm of our household has changed. Our sons are young men now – they manage their own schedules, get themselves to and fro unassisted, and have even taken over their own washing and cleaning.
Big Boy is proving a deft hand in the kitchen; Small Man less so. Our dinner conversations continue to be quirky and interesting, with a constantly changing focus. Every night, as I watch my three men deep in discussion, I give thanks for such a harmonious and loving family. I can’t remember the last time an angry word was exchanged at the dinner table.
This morning, as I started to unstack the dishwasher, I noticed that the sun was rising. So I downed tools and sat outside with my hot drink, basking in the gentle warmth of the autumn light. It was a very soothing way to start the day.
Perhaps it’s a sign of middle age, but lately I’ve been filled with gratitude for the small things, and each day it seems to be something different. This morning, it was the little blue pen I was writing my shopping list with. It was just a 50c biro, but I suddenly felt incredibly fortunate to have a whole drawer of pens to write with. Thirty years ago, my friends Cath and Andrew went around Africa in the back of a converted army truck, carrying pockets full of biros to use as currency – such was the shortage at the time of writing implements in some of the poorer regions.
Often in our first world lives, commodities become so cheap that we cease to value them. I know the faux bone-handled knives in my cutlery drawer aren’t worth much, but I adore them – for their history, and the way they feel in my hand, and the way they spread butter on a piece of toast. I love that we humans use tools, and I’m particularly happy when I find a clever piece of kit that makes my life easier. Like my offset spatula. I’ll stop now before I work my way through the entire utensils drawer.
Einstein once said…“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
I haven’t always been good at the latter, but I’ve been practising.
I’ve been watching the sun and marveling at the miracle of light and heat, and listening to my boys and feeling my heart throb at the timbre of their voices. I’m spending time staring at fossils that are hundreds of millions of years old and wondering how it’s possible to be holding a remnant of such ancient life in my hands. I’ve been turning off my devices and engaging in actual conversations with old friends, laughing and crying and sharing hard times as well as happy ones. And I’m trying to focus my attention on the minutiae – on the difference in taste between the peppermint and spearmint that grows in our garden, and the feel of bread dough under my fingers, and the perfect zigzag our resident St Andrews Cross spider weaves into her webs.
Life is good at the moment. Gentle and mindful and wondrous and happy.
Much love to you all. ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Beautiful post. Best reading today. Xx
Fibre art images https://instagram.com/looselywovenbasketry/
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Dear Celia, how absolutely perfect!
You do have a most absorbing method to
your writing…..
Perhaps a book please??? :)
i’m glad that life is gentle for now, great post –
Celia you seem to have such a knack to be able to tell just how things are in a lovely story so I can imagine this all happening. Autumn does have such a wonderful effect on us all. Its really a dreamy season when we can reflect and treasure what we have in life. Thank you for such a beautiful post.
Celia,isn’t it wonderful to be such a wondrous state, Fi Fi great great great granddaughter of Priscilla arrived safe and sound, and is in a state of what can one say blossoming she is awaiting her third feed for the day toes fingers all crossed LOL
Thank you for such a wonderful gift I appreciate it so very much
Hugs .
before I go I must ask when I look at that wonderful photo you posted there is what appears to be a reflection of an animal or is it a trick of the light?
Sally, it’s steam from my hot chocolate! 😊
I needed to read this today, thank you.
Yes to the small beauties and joys of life. We do live with such privilege and it’s heartening to stop, take stock and heartily savour it.
Wonderful, gracious post – thanks.
Oh Celia … I just loved this … this is what life is about … the small things! Thank you so sharing your thoughts and experience xo
Ah, to really live. To be present in the daily rhythm and flow of life. :)
A lovely post. After recovering from breast cancer, I realized that my life was very good indeed, just as it was. I was so grateful for family, friends, and home.
What a lovely, thought provoking post. It made me sit and remember travelling in Egypt with boxes of biros to give to children who otherwise would not have had them for school. And to reflect on the hard physical work Big Man and I have been doing for the last few weeks. Arriving home with muscles aching and blisters on our hands but feeling satisfied from a good day’s work together as a little team. Love that spider web…how amazing!
Thank you for the reminders to slow down. Reading your post was the perfect way to start my day, cup of tea in hand.
Much love to you Celia. So happy you in such a beautiful place.
:-) Mandy xo
Always good to be able to appreciate when you’re in a good place. How cool is that spider’s web? Is there a reason for the zigzag?
Great post! I love the little things, too. For me, it’s spirituality growing…
So glad you are going through a wonderful phase! Enjoy each moment, but I know I don’t need to tell you that, you are wise and do that naturally…
I think slowing down is good, taking the time to admire the little things and be grateful. We definitely (both Phil and I) tend to do way too much, but it’s not something we can change at the present time… oh, well…
Great quote and I LOVE what that spider is doing! Yes, slow is GOOD!
It is the little things that make life interesting.
Oh dear, I started a comment yesterday and was distracted and instantly moved on and now I remember that I’ve forgotten all the words I was going to say here. Darn. I do recall that another blogger (Barbara Bamber from Calgary) posted a fabulous video of a young man talking about how everyone dies but not everyone lives. It’s a slight tangent of your mindfulness of the little things but it’s along the same lines.
A lovely reflection on the importance of small things, the detail of the present moment. And here I am, right now, skipping my weekly Tai Chi class! More moments like the ones you describe would assist in that feeling of calm and wellness.
A wise Chinese man once told me that to be truly happy one has to live in the moment as yesterday has passed and tomorrow may never come. You certainly appear to have grasped that maxim! Enjoy
Dear Celia, what a lovely post, you are definately an amazing writer. Your words are so inspiring, along with sharing your feelings about slowing down a bit and just enjoying the moment as it is, that creates unconditioned happiness, even it’s just a little pen you pick up. From my experience as getting older it all is a wonderful thing to just take the time to reflect on your self and leaning back. Thank you so much for sharing,
So warmly glad the glass of life is half or more full not half empty – for big things in life we oft wait forever to find they are not so important after all: it is the daily small wonders and tiny successes bringing a smile upon the face that count as we settle in bed at night . . .
It’s always lovely to be there with you Celia. Thank you for the gentle morning. xo
Yes, yes and yes! Wonderful friend. I was mending an old Firefly tee-shirt for the boy this afternoon and told my hub that I will forever be grateful to the person that invented the tee. And I’m right there with you about the little things. Hugs, Maz. <3
I would have been quite happy for you to work your way through the utensils drawer. It’s funny you should say that about the pens. When travelled to East Africa 9 years ago, we took over 5kg of pens that has been collected by friends and family from hotels, conferences and doctor’s surgeries. It was nothing to us but as we distributed pens at schools, out the windows of the truck at traffic stops and in campgrounds, it was easy to see how a simple pen could make a big difference.
A wonderful reminder to count blessings from time to time. Thank you Celia
I love to read your post our boys are about the same age as yours and I to have been taking stock in the simple things we use to take for granted. Thanks for the reminder to slow down and appreciate the small stuff and enjoy every moment we have for they are the real treasures.
You’re good company… even hundreds of kilometres away :) I love your thoughtfulness and positivity. I love that we’re the same vintage.. whacko menopausal sums it up. Moving from city and working life to the country has given us a fuller focus on simple, sometimes necessitating slowing down & refocussing… and being grateful.
Beautiful musings, Celia. A happy and harmonious family life is something of a miracle these days and one I’m very thankful for. It’s lovely that you can appreciate moments, the “small things,” a knack that many people lack. Makes life even better.
It’s just so beautiful to read your blogs. I can not think of a better word then inspiring!
As I read your writing, I took a deep breath and relaxed, thinking of my joys, both large and small. I keep returning to your website for pleasure – the time I spend here is never wasted.
Lovely Celia, lovely.
I have a small gift for the men in your family — and perhaps you. Cal Newport is a young professor at Georgetown University, his field is the theory of distributed algorithms in wireless network topologies. In his “spare” time from doing this, he has a young family and writes an amazing blog called “Study Hacks” where he argues against “following your passion” career advice, argues strongly for a focussed not overloaded university education, and encourages people to do their best and think deeply.
I have been reading the archives chronologically, it is the best education/thinking blog I’ve ever read.
calnewport.com/blog/
What a lovely post. It even relaxes me just reading it. Thanks.
Celia, I’m a bit behind posting a comment on this ahhhh-inducing post, but I couldn’t help but nod my head throughout and felt compelled to let you know. After sorting through 60 years’ worth of “treasures” at my Mom’s, it feels good to be home… living a simple life again and absorbing the wonder of intrinsic value. Thank you for sharing your mindfulness, xo.
You definitely are in a good place Celia and I’m so happy to hear that. It’s also so wonderful to be able to take the time to just sit and reflect. I always try to get my daughter to do that but as I was at her age, with work, friends, activities…everything is go-go-go. By the time I had a chance to slow down and appreciate things, it all seemed to have gone by way too fast.
How beautiful. You have captured just what I am trying to achieve with my own life – appreciation and awe and awareness of every little thing. Thank you for this post, Celia. I hope many people read this and, like me, are inspired to start living life in a more meaningful way.