From the Starry Night archives: some old stories or blog posts I found that, even if a bit outdated, seemed fitting for today's times. Here they are in no special order:
"In the past, people would stare into the fire for hours when they wanted to think. Or stare at the sea. The endless dancing shapes and patterns would reach far deeper into our minds than we could manage by reason and logic.
— Douglas Adams"
More than ever, it seems, we do need dancing shapes and quiet moments to lift us and carry us.
"For years my daughter and I experienced vardøger when my husband, Tom, was about to come home from work. We would hear his car in the lane about 10 minutes before it actually arrived. Since we never knew when he'd be finished work or arrive, this signal made it easy to shift from one activity to another during that 10 minute interval."
Remembering these times opens me up a bit more to the joy of mysteries.
"'Should' is a word we use too much. It always signals an inner conflict between the expectations around us (even our own) and what life wants us to do. Maybe by giving ourselves more should-less days, we can learn to trust that flow of life."
When I hear myself saying I should or I should not do something, I ask myself if this is really true any more. It's usually not.
"No, without apology.
No, without explanation.
No, without leaving room for negotiation.
No, without fear of consequences.
No, without hard feelings."
It's still hard for me to say 'no' when it'd be wiser to. But I am getting better at it.
"The iridescent colours of a bird in the sunlight, a sweet cinnamon scent from the kitchen, the shocking delicious taste of a cold beer on a scorching hot day, the melody of church bells carried across the fields. These are all pleasures of the senses, pleasures of our very humanity. And they all give our spirit a lift. Our body is not a shell that encases our spirit, it is the living breathing presence of our spirit. And our spirit delights in delight."
We are in and of this world. Let's take joy in it.
