The Simple Things in Life

I catch the bus most days to and from work and study. I enjoy catching the bus, but sometimes the experience is less than optimal. Yesterday afternoon, suffice to say that the ride home was not the most pleasant, in terms of odours emanating from nearby passengers. I was very glad to alight and of course, spend some time in the garden breathing in the lovely fresh air.

While watering the garden, I refilled the bird bath. A short while later, a family of small birds were drinking and bathing in the water. It was a lovely sight and fully restored my humour. Such a simple thing and yet so powerful.

At the moment I'm on an elimination diet trying to work out what foods I keep reacting to. Now me and the word diet just do not go together (it's up there with jogging and photos! NOT something I do), so I was a bit apprehensive as to how this would work out.

Well, I have surprised myself. Not only am I not craving chocolate and other sweet treats, I'm really enjoying the food I'm eating. The diet works on a four day rotation plan, with meat (or other protein source), fruit and a carbohydrate source specified each day. To this you can add certain amounts of specified foods such as cabbage, lettuce, celery and plain rice cakes, etc.

Today I get to eat pears. Pears have never tasted so good. Tomorrow it will be pawpaw. The point is, by appreciating what I can have rather than concentrating on what I can't have, this diet is not the horrible beast I thought it would be. I'm really enjoying the plain simple tastes.

It's really all a matter of your attitude, I think, and you can gain pleasure from even the most mundane things. By appreciating what you have, you lose the desire (well, quite a lot of it ;)) for what you don't have. It really is the simple things in life that matter; we just forget sometimes.

love and light
naturewitch

Living Simply and Being Grateful

Given all the current issues around food, energy and the future of our planet, you might like to read this http://doing-it-naturally.blogspot.com/2008/04/even-as-child-i-was-mule.html
Molly has expressed it all so beautifully.

I was reflecting on this and thought that one of the keys to living simply, sustainably and reducing our consumption and load on the planet is to be grateful. The rationale behind this is that if we are grateful for what we have, then we are less likely to "want" other things (stuff!) and therefore to consume less and live within our planet's means.

So I thought I'd start by writing down ten things I am grateful for:

1. my loving partner, family (including the cats!) and friends
2. being able to go to bed each night, knowing all my loved ones are safe, fed, clothed and housed
3. being able to see, hear, touch, feel, taste, walk, talk, laugh, sing, dance, live
4. my back yard in which I can grow food and muck around in the dirt
5. my income
6. living in Australia and all the good things that brings with it
7. my old sewing machine (it's 26 this year, but still a trooper; last year I had a serious case of sewing machine envy when a dear friend bought a new machine (she really needed it!), but I got over it)
8. the fresh air I breathe every day, just by opening a door or window
9. the stash of fabrics and wool I have for quilting, sewing, knitting
10. sunshine and laughter

So here's the challenge - what are ten things you are grateful for? Would love to hear.

love and light
naturewitch