How have these past months felt for you? Perhaps you too identify with being in a wintering season? Last week, we had the most beautiful sunny day. Crisp air, clear blue skies, sun bathing everything in joyous light. That might not seem that unusual or noteworthy, but I live in the west of Scotland and…
The tastes and smells of Christmas…remind you of what?
It’s a very tasty and smelly time of year. And generally that makes me very happy. What are some of the tastes and smells of Christmas in your house? Our moods are affected most by what we take in through our senses. What we see, hear, smell, taste, and how we experience touch, can affect…
Enjoying Christmas with all our senses
Christmas is fast approaching – it is impossible to deny it now, despite my best attempts. What are your senses telling you as you go through this week? I absolutely love Christmas, but generally like to keep it to December. MB has been told that his favourite enormous Santa mug can be reintroduced to the…
Why Contentment Matters: Skills for Modern Life
Should contentment be taught as a skill? This is a fascinating thought – that contentment, along with other life skills, could be on some kind of educational curriculum. Contentment matters, along with skills like emotional intelligence and resilience. These are cornerstone skills for modern life, equipping us to deal with the day to day pressures…
I wish I had taken more chances.
I wish I had taken more chances. Do you every feel like that? How does it feel to imagine getting to the end of your life and looking back at lost opportunities – the ‘what if’s, the fizzled out dreams? Not a very cheery place to start this week, I know. Sorry. But this stuff…
Wishing you deep peace at Christmas
Christmas is nearly on us…only a few days to go. You, me, most other people living in our Western society, are up to our ears in plans, preparations, cooking, cleaning, festivities, shopping, wrapping. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your level of peace? That is my wish for you, to…
Advent waiting and spiritual rest
We have entered the season of Advent, as we anticipate and count down towards Christmas. I generally love pretty much everything to do with Christmas, but I love it in December. Not before. As we finish our musings on the Seven different types of rest that we need, the last one fits well with Advent:…
“We are suppressed emotions”
Emotions. There are a lot of them around at the moment, be they suppressed emotions or very out in the open. Last week, in Scotland, the school exam results came out. Emotions ranging from joy and excitement through relief and ambivalence to disappointment and anxiety are swirling around the country. This week sees the return…
Beauty out of brokenness
I love sea glass. To me, it is treasure waiting to be discovered, every piece telling a story of a lost bottle or ink well or glass reflector from times gone by. Sea glass can be around in our oceans for decades, and it intrigues me to think of who handled it first and in…
An inspiration to stop and look
It is amazing what you notice when you really stop and look. Often we chunter through life at full pelt without really stopping to notice what is around us – in our homes, in our communities, in our families, in our relationships, even in our own bodies. But when we choose to stop and look,…