Category: Changes

challenges · Changes · inspiration

A Sunday Job in Progress

Joanne3 Comments

My house is in total disarray. Master twelve thinks it looks as though we have just moved into a new house while my two cats are in a state of total confusion. The dog has been banished to the backyard.

It’s all for a worthy cause, however the cats have their doubts! The Man of the House (M.O.T.H.) and I both agree it is a job well overdue.

Yesterday we dismantled the main living area of the house, this being the “Family Room”, which comprises of the kitchen, meals area and the family lounge room, (as opposed to my Quiet Room).

The M.O.T.H. painted the whole ceiling area yesterday afternoon, not an easy task and one which has left him with a major “kink” in the neck!

Before I emptied the dresser, to be pulled away from the wall, I bemoaned the fact that it would take forever to remember where everything went, but with trusty camera in hand, I now have photographic evidence of the original placement of all my kitchen wares.

The mirror is down from over the mantelpiece, as is the mantelpiece itself. The house has not looked this bare since we built it, over sixteen years ago.

Curtains are down, mats removed, cupboards and bookcases emptied; the television cabinet is yet to be moved, which will be a major feat, as the fish tank is sitting on top of it!

There’s barely a room in the house that doesn’t contain the clutter of the rearrangement.

A new lounge-suite is due to arrive any day. The old family room lounge has served the family well for the past twelve years, and now it is time for it to move on.

Donned in my painting clothes, the M.O.T.H. and I will be tackling the walls today. I agonised over a colour change for the room and have settled on a coffee colour, which I am hoping will be as easy to live with as the cool shades of pale green, which we are replacing.

Meanwhile, Queen Cat has found herself a private couch in an out of the way room and little Cutie Cat is still unimpressed!

For me, it’s hi-ho, hi-ho and off to work I go! 🙂

Changes · inspiration · knowledge · Trappist monks

The Calm and Clarity of Silence

Joanne5 Comments

Last night I accidently, half-watched an episode of “The Simpsons” on television.

It was while I was in the kitchen, having a tidy-up. Master twelve had himself cosily snuggled up under a rug, in front of the television. At first, my mind was on autopilot, whilst going about my chores.

Without warning though, I realised I was listening to those goofy, cartoon voices.

No offence to anyone who enjoys “The Simpsons”, but I don’t watch the show, as I don’t enjoy it, simple as that, which is why I say I accidently listened to some of the show.

I’m also not a believer in any kind of “accident”, so it isn’t completely accurate to claim that I listened to the show “accidently”.

In the storyline, the father had his mouth clamped up (for whatever reason the writers of the show gave, I didn’t hear that part), so rather than hearing only his own voice, he began to listen to what the members of his family were saying, for a change. Needless to say, he learned a lot about them.

My kitchen chores kept me in the vicinity of the television long enough to find out that this gave him a whole new respect for his family.

The show was a reminder to me of a time, many years ago now, when I had a severe throat infection, so severe in fact that I was advised not to speak at all for about three days (not that I could speak, even if I had wanted to!)

My children were young at the time and I only had three of them, aged eight, five and ten months old. It was difficult at first, not having a voice, and I wrote notes to my husband constantly. I couldn’t read to my children and had lost the use of words to comfort them if they were sad, although hugs still worked wonders!

After the first day of speechlessness, however, calm set in. I could see that my family could actually function quite successfully without my voice; it was not, as I had previously believed, an essential commodity in holding my family together!

I remember these three days as the worst of times (I wasn’t feeling well) and also the best of times. The lessons I learned astounded me!

For me, my lesson hadn’t been to listen to my family, I already did that. Children are fascinating little people to listen to, and as they grow their own individual personalities begin to shine through. That is magic in itself!

By the time I was able to speak, I didn’t want to! I had developed a whole new respect for the Trappist Monks who had taken a vow of silence. I now understood the wordless, peaceful presence of their souls.

Trappist monks are an order of Cistercian monks, established in 1664, at La Trappe, in Normandy, France.

Actually, I believe it is not a “vow of silence” as such; however these monks are expected to only speak when necessary and are not allowed any idle chatter.

Silence is said to “empty oneself in order to allow the word of God to flower within”.

The purpose of the silence in the monks lives is to bring about quietude and receptivity. This I can believe, as it happened to me.

The feeling of calm, which overtook my whole being, although it amazed me at the time, has since become a necessity in my life. I can only describe it as being like a drug (not that I’ve taken any kind of drugs, ever!); a completely harmless drug, which enhances your life, giving a clarity of mind that previously, you would not have imagined possible!

The on-going after effects of the silence are calm and clarity, further enhancing not only your own life, but also the lives of those about you.

We are given the gifts of speech and hearing. We also have the gift of wisdom, which we must learn to put to use in overriding our innately human desire for constant chatter.

Just like the three monkeys; “hear all”, “see all” and “say naught”. These three monkeys must have no doubt spent time with the Trappist monks!

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this subject. Have you yourself ever experienced the changes, overtaking your entire being, brought about by silence?

Australia · Changes · winter

Winter Sunset Over The Magical Mountain

Joanne7 Comments

Yesterday we experienced a particularly cold day. Apparently our maximum temperature only reached nineteen degrees Celsius, although I can’t work out at just what time of day the nineteen degrees happened, as I froze all day!

Yes, I can hear some of you laughing at me right now…and I do appreciate the fact that if your area reaches a maximum of minus-something degrees during winter, you can’t leave the house at all, due to frost bite, and even if you can get out the front door, the snow is so banked up you can’t get any further than your front gate, nineteen degrees seems like a heat-wave!

Surely you understand though, it’s a matter of what you are acclimatised to!

One of the advantages of our cooler weather (yes, there are always advantages, to what at first may appear a disadvantage), was yesterday afternoon’s beautiful sunset.

The photo really doesn’t do it justice. The sky was amazing! Can you see the clouded area over and above the mountain? That is a little stream of smoke from our local sugar mill. Sugar cane farming is one of the local industries in my area.

The mountain in the photo is Mount Warning, named by Captain James Cook in 1770. The highest peak of the mountain is the point where the rays of the sun first fall on Australia each morning.

Yesterday’s winter sunset photo reminded me of a collection of photos I had taken during the summer months, in the same position as yesterday, showing the vivid yellow/orange sky, after a hot summers day.

The view is constantly changing over the magical mountain. It’s yet another natural wonder, one which I will never tire of seeing. 🙂

advice · challenges · Changes · inspiration

A Rejuvenated Soul

Joanne2 Comments

When it comes to keeping mementos, I’m up there with the best of them. Those treasured keepsakes, the trinkets of happiness, able to transport the soul to bygone days of warmth, wonder and joy.

But just how much warmth and joy can one soul take? Can the soul cope with possession overload, and still function in its soulful way? Are you a victim of “stifled soul”?

Help is available. “Stifled Soul” is treatable and curable, no drugs or hospitalisation required!

Clothing and shoes are a huge soul stifler. When the disheartened soul is peering at “a wardrobe full of nothing to wear”, that would be a great place to begin. Go through each item in your wardrobe, one by one, asking the same question of each item of clothing and pair of shoes stashed in there; “Have I worn this in the last year?” If the answer is “no”, out it goes!

Next, open the linen closet. Are all of the sets of sheets in there still being used? Are there even beds in the house that still fit the sheets in the closet? And the towels, does your family of four really use the fifty towels you have stashed away in there?

The charity shops will love you, when you arrive at the door, laden with bags of excess “stuff” you no longer have a use for. The health of your soul will be improving as well.

Every room in the house will benefit from a repeat of the above “drug-free prescription”.  Kitchen cupboards and drawers, table tops and coffee tables, display shelving, even clean out the car. The soul sees and feels all.

Next, take a few deep, long, cleansing breaths…in preparation for a good old “paper-shuffle”, in the office, on the desk, or wherever those “important papers” are kept. With recycle bin at hand, go through all of that junk mail, opened envelopes, used shopping lists, in fact any piece of paper no longer required, bin it!

To keep the paper work in check in the future, invest in two or three file trays and some storage boxes. When neatly placed on top of your freshly cleaned desk top, along with a pen holder (a place to keep those elusive pens and pencils that have a knack of vanishing, just when you need them), everything will have its place.

By the time all of these tidy-up and throw out tasks are completed, you’ll feel lighter and freer than you have in years, all due to the fresh air your once stifled soul is now breathing.

To prevent a re-occurance of “stifled soul”, I would recommend repeating the treatment on an annual basis. Your healthy soul will thank you for it!

There’s nothing new about having a good old-fashioned clean out; even our grandmother’s took part in an annual “spring clean”, although the season of spring is not necessarily required for soul therapy to be carried out.

When the cleanout is complete in the home and office, your heart, mind and soul will feel light and refreshed as well, rejuvenated, and awaiting the next chapter of life’s evolving events.

advice · Changes

Always a Second Chance

Joanne2 Comments

Time fascinates me. I also have a great love for clocks, although I don’t believe the two are connected in any way at all.

My ultimate dream clock, which I have yet to acquire, is a Grandfather Clock. They feel solid and comforting; in fact, totally timeless! I see Grandfather Clock’s as a most beautiful piece of furniture. On my mantelpiece, I have a wonderful, deep-chiming mantle clock; on the wall in my lounge room I have a cuckoo clock, and in my daughter’s bedroom, she has a musical clock (a gift from her mum, of course!)

The fact that clocks actually have a productive use, that being, they keep track of time, is totally secondary to my mind. I enjoy the various chimes they have, the rhythmic tick-tocking sound and the “feel” of them, that’s all.

Reading an article recently on the psychological reason a person has for a love of clocks, I was most dismayed to learn that the belief is that the clock lover has an obsession with time! Huh! Nothing could be more further from the truth, in my case.

For the day to day necessities, I have my own personal “inbuilt instinct” time tracker, much the same as animals have, glancing at the clock occasionally, to check that my “time sensor” is still on track.  When I’m reading, cooking, gardening or talking with my children, I lose total track of time! So much for their theory of obsession!

In the very first article I published on my “Memoirs” blog, a post entitled, “It’s Just a Matter of Time”, I discussed the theory of time and my ideas on the subject, which you may like to read by clicking on this link.

I fail to understand the word “now”, in relation to immediate time, as no sooner is the word uttered, than “now” is gone, replaced by a new now, and a new now, and so on.

Now is far more successful as a broader ranged word, encompassing today, or this week, even this month or “for the duration”.

With the passing of what we know as “now” being instantaneous, we have the luxury of choice. If we judge our own actions in the “Now” to be pleasing, those actions become happy memories.

Alternately, if we are dissatisfied with our actions, feeling we have made mistakes, messed up in some way, or somehow find our choices displeasing, we are given a second chance! “Now” as we knew it is gone, replaced by another now. The old now is the past, the past is gone, and will be forgotten if we so choose it to be.

Life is full of second chances, of our own choosing. It is of no benefit to yourself, or anyone in your life for that matter, if you are hung-up on old mistakes; move on, create a new truth for yourself, and a whole assortment of new happy memories to look back on.

Always embrace every opportunity for, and make the most of, every second chance. 🙂