Walking along the hillside in warm sunshine and a balmy breeze, I reflected on the delightful unpredictability of weather in the valley. This was miles from the dismal chill of last week when I thought the layers were here to stay. In reality, straight lines are an illusion. Pause. See differently. Re-story 🌿
As you know, I don’t do rhyme… so to offer you a weekend smile: An echo chamber of one is not much fun. While two is better and three is greater, four or more could be the core of a beautiful and magnificent chorus. ~ Our little valley operates as an acoustic chamber. It’s easy to … Read more
How do you know when the berries are ripe? Or when it’s time to cut the hay? And when do the fledglings know it’s time to leave the nest or the goslings leave the lake? Or the leaves start to turn, and the fungi push their fruiting bodies into the air? It’s not a knowing … Read more
It takes being fully invested in the present to know the right speed because there are no ‘do-overs’. “Be fast when it makes sense to be fast, and be slow when slowness is called for. Seek to live at what musicians call the tempo giusto – the right speed.” + Carl Honoré, from ‘In Praise … Read more
At the start of his brilliant book, The Art of Noticing: Discover What Really Matters to You, Rob Walker quotes Amy Krouse Rosenthal: “For anyone trying to discern what to do with their life: pay attention to what you pay attention to. That’s pretty much all the information you need.” It’s an excellent question to … Read more
A few days ago, I was reminded of a wise insight from the poet David Whyte: ‘If you can see your path clearly laid out before you, it is not your path.’ It is in the curves, the hidden contours and the unexpected detours that we grow and experience our becoming. Because life is not … Read more
Sometimes when we’re searching for meaning or an answer, nothing shows up. Until the light comes in. And then we cannot unsee what the light, or insight, has revealed. It changes everything. And us. Sometimes, we simply have to wait and allow our patience muscles to be stretched and strengthened. Yet it might also be … Read more
Most of us live in worlds that are far from quiet. We’ve become attuned to noise and activity as the wallpaper of our existence. The things that vie for our attention, that become our normal. So it’s not surprising that we think of quiet as being absence. But what if, rather than nothingness, quiet was … Read more
On this day of honouring women who inspire us, I want to celebrate the person and work of Margaret Wheatley. I grew up in an era and culture that appreciated women as long as they stayed within boundaries. We enjoyed the gifts that women brought but didn’t hear their voices or recognise their leadership. And … Read more
The stories that frame our expectations of ourselves are probably laid down in childhood. And then set in concrete by our experience of life. But are they real? What if they are other people’s projections that meet their need for status or control? Turning them off can be so liberating. Do what you can with … Read more