{The crystal egg cup}
Happiest of Easter Weekends to all my wonderful readers!
I hope you find your golden egg under the rosebush, and contemplate lots of new beginnings.
We will be relaxing in our lovely London flat, taking long walks in the park to admire the daffodils, and spending evenings watching movies or hosting dinner for friends.
See you next week!
How are you doing with your efforts to be inspired by your word (or resolutions) for 2015? It's the end of March, and I'm checking in to assess my efforts to embrace this year.
It's funny.
I'm sitting on the couch while Little M watches her classical music mobile in her cot, and, try as I might, I can hardly remember anything that's happened in the past 30 days.
Did we return from Austria in February, or was it March? I know I had a birthday at some point. I got an illustrating job, thus ending my maternity leave... but aside from those big events, the month is a blur of naps, bottles, and walks, all littered with pencil and eraser shavings.
The only way I can remember anything is if I write it down, which is why I'm designing a new day planner, as well as trying to keep a daily journal. (more to come on both)
As long as I'm getting enough rest (naps are essential), and eating well (meal plans and online grocery delivery are my saving graces right now), I feel like I can handle just about anything.
I'm also trying to embrace the help of random strangers. People in London are amazingly compassionate and helpful when they see moms stranded with strollers at the top or bottom of long staircases in train or tube stations.
Thank-you London!
Embracing "Being"
One idea that has really struck home these past few months is that we are all unique, special and valuable just because we are, and not because of what we do. Too often I judge myself by what I have accomplished (or not), and I forget that my personal worth shouldn't be so closely tied to my successes and failures.
Little M is a miracle just because she is. It's her being, her is-ness, that makes her amazing. She plays; she smiles; she drinks; she poos; she sleeps (sometimes); and each day her personality becomes clearer, like a form materializing in a thick mist. By the world's standards, none of those activities are particularly valuable, and yet, she is a miracle.
You and I were once miraculous babies. We have let the sparkle of that miracle wear off and become a distant memory, but it isn't gone.
You might be sitting there in your bathrobe, sipping a coffee, steeling yourself for your day, and all around you the latent glow of your inexplicable is-ness is shining for anyone who might take the time to notice. You are you and nobody else!
That's amazing. I am. He is. She is. We are. We can conjugate a verb and define one of the biggest mysteries of life.
So, I'm trying to embrace a new understanding of my self-worth, as well as everyone else's worth. We are all here, zooming through the vast galaxy on a tiny planet populated with miracles. Think about it for a minute. It will change your day.
{Nerd alert: this is a very simplified discussion of ontology, the study of the nature of being, becoming and existence. Ontology is one of my favourite words, both for how it sounds and what it means.}
Just this weekend we booked tickets to spend some time with M's family in Cape Town. We're both excited and a little nervous about the new adventure, as it will mean taking our first long-haul flight with Little M.
So, in the coming month you can expect some posts about planning and calendars, about journaling, and about our trip to Cape Town!
How was your month? Are you thinking about your word or your resolutions regularly? Have you experienced any milestones that you think helped you grow as a person? Please share in the comments!
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There are few places in the world where I can feel my heartbeat slow the moment I arrive. Zell am See was one of those place for me.
It is a tiny, quaint town on the edge of a cold, glassy lake. It is nestled between forested and snowy mountains on all sides. Clouds gathered and dispersed between the peaks like ancient Chinese calligraphy paintings, bringing intermittent snow or sun depending on their moods. Church bells echoed between the steep gables of the medieval chalets, and people clomped up and down the cobbled streets in their ski boots with looks of anticipation and excitement on their faces.
As I walked through the narrow medieval alleys, I took deep breaths of sweet mountain air that made my toes tingle.
Zell am See is about 1 hour from Salzburg and the perfect destination for both skiers and non-skiers. {which is why we chose it, because I was going to spend the week looking after Little M and relaxing}
I had intended for this to be an encyclopedic post all about all the things to see and do in the Zell am See area. However, I've been completely defeated by a lethal combination of illustration workload and Little M's teething. So, I'll rather make some observations in list form...
1.
We stayed at the Grand Hotel, as they had all inclusive meals.
We didn't want the extra stress of having to go to restaurants with our little four month old baby. Their food and service were excellent. Included in the price were breakfast, an après ski snack in the bar/lounge, and dinner. They accommodated us with our baby in every way they could.
2.
For non-skiers, there is a lovely walking path that circles the lake.
Should one want to make the full circuit, one could walk for 10km. I did almost daily walks to the small village of Schüttdorf and back. I watched the ducks and swans paddle in the open water between ice sheets, and trace clumsy footsteps across the snow.
3.
For skiers.
You can walk to the main lift station in Zell am See, which is 5 minutes from the town centre, or take regular buses to various other lift points. If you want a bit of an outing, there is the nearby Kitzsteinhorn glacier, with offers amazing skiing at high altitudes.
4.
Food.
The food at our hotel was classic and tasty, but not excellent. There were three set menus to choose from, always including a vegetarian option. After a few days we realized that we could mix and match choices from the various set menus, which gave us a huge selection of dishes to choose from. Austrians seem obsessed with putting knödel in everything.
Dumplings here, dumplings there, dumpling dumplings everywhere.
I was incredulous when the evening menu at our hotel listed tiramisu with dumplings (how was that even possible?).
5.
It was surprisingly difficult to find a good cup of coffee.
In the most popular tourist cafe in town, right on the town square, I ordered a decaf cappuccino and was served a very weak instant coffee topped with fake whipped cream. My husband's hot chocolate was similarly dire. At last, we found
, that served amazing coffees and cakes (though receiving friendly service was a bit hit and miss).
Summer Sunday Sketches in Steinbach
{The mountains peek between the rooftops}
{St Hippolyte's Church, which houses some gorgeous medieval frescoes}
{The Grand Hotel}
{Beautiful ornaments in the festive Friday market}
{View from our hotel room at night}
{The lake in a blizzard, and duck footprints on the bottom right}
{Medieval windows}
{The city square}
{Swans in love}
{Mountain top experiences}
{The Queen of Puppies}
My current business cards are designed to look like a playing card (see below). One of my dreams for the past few years has been to design a second set of business cards so that I can fan them out in my hand with a flourish and say, "Pick a card, any card."
I never got around to it because I was always too "busy." Too many deadlines and other urgent tasks got in the way. It took having a baby, taking a self-imposed maternity leave, and then feeling bored during her nap times to get them designed and painted.
I normally print my business cards with
. It would be cheaper to go to a local printing shop to get them printed, but then I would have to print 500 (which is the usual minimum), and I would be buried under stacks of my cards for years to come. With Moo prints I can print small runs, which allows me the flexibility to change my designs quite frequently.
Plus, their paper quality is amazing, and they give lots of nifty options, such as the sleek rounded corners which I love so much.
These past few weeks I've been busy trying to re-imagine my life and career with a little one in tow. I sit on the couch with Little M, answer emails, fiddle with photoshop, and ask her, "what do you think about this?" or "what should mommy do with that?" She stares at me with wide eyes and a knowing smile, and I'm sure she would have sage advice to share, if she could only talk. Perhaps she'll become my most valued business advisor in time.
Sometimes it feels like things have reached a state of stasis; the impulse to create pulls me one way, and the impulse to slow down and savour motherhood pulls me the other. I decided that the one way to conquer the inertia was to design a new business card. Doing a little makeover gives my portfolio new energy. Suddenly I'm excited to contact people and send images into the void.
{The current Queen of Kittens, soon to be joined by the above design!}
{Bloom through the gloom}
Sylvia Plath.
I wonder why I don't go to bed and go to sleep. But then it would be tomorrow, so I decide that no matter how tired, no matter how incoherent I am, I can skip one hour more of sleep and
live
. If I did not have this time to be myself, to write here, to be alone, I would somehow, inexplicably, lose a part of my integrity. {The Unabridged Journals, page 83}
. Energy comes from having a mission, not eating or sleeping. It comes from something you're being pulled by, not something you're pushing on.... If you're pulled, if there's something you want to serve that's greater than yourself, something that excites you, something you're made for, then there's a level of energy that most people would never dream of. We all have that, but most of us don't connect to it.
When it comes to sleep and babies, we're all just fumbling along. We care for our fabulous, feisty little humans the best way we know how. In one bedroom, or two bedrooms, or no bedrooms at all, sleep after a baby is different than sleep before a baby. But then, so is breathing. So is the way your heart beats in your chest.
So if you are on the other side of forty and think blogging is just for twenty something long legged green smoothie toting yoga goddesses, or wine guzzling toddler taming sleep deprived mamas in their thirties, think again.
{
Can you guess the theme?
Leave your guess in the comments and some way for me to direct message you (either email or twitter name), and I'll send you an exclusive 15% off code for
! I can't reduce the price much more, as the quality of my prints is so high! Here's a clue: the theme is 5 letters, starting with S.}
I'm spending a lot of time singing the chorus of "And I will always love you" to keep her happy. I'm chanelling
the gentleness of the original Dolly Parton
, rather than the flamboyance of Whitney Houston.
When I'm out of entertainment ideas, we watch
these black and white videos for infants
with achingly beautiful designs. They are part art installation and part pacifier, and would be just at home in Tate Modern as in my living room.
For those of you who are regular visitors, you might have noticed that I've done a little housekeeping. I redesigned my blog with the help of the lovely Suzana of
. I struggle with writing html and css code, so buying a template to work with was the perfect answer. Suzana installed it within days and was so lovely to work with. Once the template was installed, it was easy enough for me to modify aspects of the design to suit my style.
I've organized all my past posts into the categories which you see on the top of the right-hand column. Have some time? Go exploring!
And, I've decided to open up the whole right-hand column to blog banner swaps and advertising. If you want your blog, shop or brand to be featured on my blog, just jump over
and book a slot. The first 5 people booking a spot can use code WELCOME! to get 50% off. It's a bargain!
I love books; I can't live without them. We have been successful at simplifying many of our possessions, but books are impossible to part with.
Sometimes I think we're going sink under the weight of all the books in our London flat. I worry that, as we buy more books and pile them into the bookshelf, we'll have to build a buttress outside to hold both the floor and the wall up. Otherwise we might collapse into our neighbour's flat below.
When I look at our bookshelf, each book tells a story. Not just the story within its pages, but also the story of who I was and what I was thinking the moment I read it. A bookshelf is like an autobiography. When I visit someone's house, I love taking a peek at their bookshelves, as I can tell so much about their interests and habits by looking at the titles on the spines. Cookbooks. Travel books. Novels. Poetry. Art books. They all reveal aspects of our characters.
Books allow us to enter imaginatively into someone else's life. And when we do that, we learn to sympathize with other people. But the real surprise is that we also learn truths about ourselves, about our own lives, that somehow we hadn't been able to see before.
So, tip #5 for
Life in a London flat
is: proudly display your books, they are part of who you are (and related... tip #5.1 is hide your TV... ours is behind the hinged panel below the shelves).
I don't ascribe to the trends stating that we should recover our books in neutral dust-jackets, or arrange them by size or colour so the bookshelves look like rainbows. Having been a librarian's assistant in a past life (nerd alert!), I try to arrange my books alphabetically and in genres, such as fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc. Our books are bright and colourful, and add an injection of personality into our small, serene little flat.
Our built-in bookshelf was built by the amazing
, who worked as a boat builder in Holland before moving to London and starting his cabinetry business. He works with navy-style attention to detail and precision.
So many thoughts. So many ideas. So many memories. So many ways our minds have been challenged and broadened.
So here's a question: do your bookshelves tell your story?
"A little library, growing every year,
is an honourable part of a man's history.
It is a man's {and woman's} duty to have books."
Henry Ward Beecher
"When you reread a classic,
you do not see more in the book than you did before;
you see more in yourself than there was before."
Clifton Fadiman
More glimpses of life in a London flat
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Instead of sharing my daily drawings (of which there were few) this week. I thought I'd share my annual birthday self portrait.
Several years ago I started a tradition of drawing a self portrait on or around my birthday. It was inspired by Rembrandt, who painted many expressive and honest self-portraits throughout his life-time. The self portraits track his emotional, physical and creative maturation.
I'm not Rembrandt, and I don't paint in oils; even so, each year I'm challenging myself to draw or paint something to represent the moment, the week, the day, that I grew one year older.
This year's drawing is very small, just a simple pencil sketch in my tiny moleskine sketchbook. Did I catch my likeness? To be honest, I think the sketch was perfect about 3 minutes before I put my pencil down. I added a few too many strokes, and lost some of the intensity. However, I think it perfectly captures my current mood of introspection.
Today isn't my birthday. However, on the day, I spent a lot of time reflecting on what has happened in the past year and what I hope will come to fruition in the next year.
Do you have any birthday traditions?
Feeling inspired? Please share, tweet, pin or favourite!
While we were in Austria I was able to take few hours off from childcare and spend the day wandering around Salzburg. The cold, blustery wind stung my cheeks, but nothing would dampen my enthusiasm for this small, picturesque little city.
I wandered the streets, got lost, found myself again, and admired the sorbet-coloured baroque buildings: pistachio, strawberry, raspberry, vanilla. Distances aren't large in the old part of the city, but the streets are arranged like a labyrinth, so getting anywhere takes time and a keen sense of direction.
The sun shone brilliantly, making the gorgeous city sparkle. And, in sheltered corners, it was just warm enough to loosen my scarf and open my jacket while sitting on a park bench. At noon I pulled out the lunch I had packed from the hotel's breakfast buffet: a small brown roll filled with holey swiss cheese, and ate while basking in a warm sunbeam.
The old part of the city is called the cathedral district because there is a huge church on practically every street corner. On the hour, every hour, the various church bells chimed in unison, creating a reverberation of sound across the city.
Salzburg is famous for being the birthplace of Mozart. He was born in a narrow yellow house, on a narrow little street, in the old part of the city, and he was baptized the day after his birth in the cathedral.
I decided not to go into the house, which has been turned into a museum, but rather honoured my love of Mozart by humming my favourite parts of his compositions while I wended my way up and down the cobbled the streets of the city.
As I walked past the concert hall, near the castle, I saw a glint of gold flashing from a high window. When I looked more closely I saw that it was someone practicing the French horn; he was aiming the flared bell of the instrument at the window so that all the passing traffic could hear the jaunty rising phrases of a Mozart horn concerto. The theme floated into the cold spring air and echoed between the ancient buildings.
Salzburg makes the most of their "Mozart" connection, and have even invented a chocolate truffle named after him. It is a sphere made of concentric layers of pistachio marzipan, nougat and chocolate. Both delicious and addictive.
{Yum!}
Salzburg actually means "Salt Fortress" in German. Salt was mined in the mountains nearby and, in the middle ages, barges carrying salt up the Salzach river had to pay a toll in Salzburg. The castle, perched high on the hill above the old town, called the Festung Hohensalzburg, was started in 1077, and it was hugely expanded in the following centuries.
I decided to walk the narrow, precipitous path to the toll gate rather than take the funicular, because I wanted to tread those same stones that medieval travellers might have trodden on. The climb was hot and exhausting work, and I couldn't help myself from breathlessly singing the German hymn. "Eine feste Burg ist unser Gott." (A mighty fortress is our God).
The medieval genius of the castle was astounding. For, had any invader successfully breached the steep castle walls (or made the climb without keeling over from exhaustion), they would have found themselves getting deeply lost in the spiral-shaped labyrinth of paths and ramparts that guarded the archbishops fortress in the centre. Even I, with my tourist map, got completely confused, and failed to find the same footpath that had led me in. I ended up taking the funicular down to save energy and time.
The views from the top of the castle walls was astounding. I could see the entire town of Salzburg laid out below me like a miniature city, and the ring of snowy peaked Alps in the distance.
{The Castle}
{The Cathedral reflected in the castle windows}
{A seagull flying above the Salzach river}
Just for the fun of it, I challenged myself to only speak German for the day.
It's easy to get the feeling that you know a language when you can order a cup of coffee, and they don't look at you askance, or ask for basic directions, and not make a fool of yourself. So, I considered my foray into the resurrection my German to be a success. At least I could understand and communicate. (the former far better than the latter).
Sometimes I find it astonishing that anyone can understand my German at all! However, when it comes to holding more involved conversions, my language skills are sorely lacking.
(Having said that, Austrians are wonderfully polite and friendly people, and most know English very well.)
... I passed the long train journey reading Helen McInnes's book "The Salzburg Connection," which is a cold war spy novel set in Salzburg and Zurich.
It is a fast paced, if slightly dated novel, filled with stereotypical intrigues. The amateur sleuth gets caught up in a mystery that's over his head, he meets CIA agents, an impossibly beautiful and seemingly-vulnerable femme-fatal, and acquires a smart, sassy (and also beautiful) sidekick. Of course, good prevails and the guy gets the gal. Woven through the plot are McInnes's atmospheric descriptions of Salzburg and the Austrian mountains and lakes nearby.
A weekend in Windhoek, Namibia
Adventures in Rome and Tuscany
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Two months down, ten more to go. The new year has both flown by, and crawled at a snail's pace. I no longer measure my days with minutes and seconds, but with nap times: morning nap, noon nap, afternoon nap, evening nap.
My word for this year is EMBRACE, and I'm endeavouring to
embrace
this year's changes (both joyful and difficult). Last year my word was BUILD, and by the end of the year I had completely forgotten about it. So, this year I'm planning to do review posts at the end of each month to assess how this year's word is changing my life and my mindset.
My mom stayed with us for the first three months of Little M's life and left at the end of January. February has been a month of adjusting to our new daily rhythms as a family of three. We've been asking ourselves all sorts of exploratory questions in order to improve our quality of life. Some changes involve big decisions, others are more like leaning gently in a new direction. Even the smallest adjustment in rhythm can make huge ripple effects for the rest of the day.
Part of this effort to embrace my new lifestyle (with baby) is to continue doing my small daily sketches. Some days it's easy and inspiring, other days I struggle to find the time or figure out what I want to draw, and sometimes, I don't draw at all. Even on the omission days, because I had the option of drawing but
chose
not to, I feel like I have a little more agency in my life.
And, I'm becoming an expert at embracing my teeny, tiny daughter. That's the easy part!
What does March have in store for us? At the moment I'm not sure that I can really make extended plans beyond my daily to-do lists. The month definitely holds a birthday, so I need to embrace turning another year older!
And, now that Little M has crossed the four month mark, we're going to try embracing solids (or rather, mush). Won't that be an adventure for her little taste-buds!
Did you choose a word for 2015? Are you noticing any shifts in consciousness from it?
What victories are you celebrating this month?
{The tower of St. Hippolyte's Church}
We have spent the week in Zell am See, Austria, where my husband snowboarded and I relaxed with Little M and filled my sketchbook with Alpine views.
I packed a minimalistic art kit: a tiny moleskine sketchbook, a few pens, pencils and brushes, and a small palette of watercolour paint. I felt a bit confined by the small selection of supplies, but that's not a necessarily a bad thing when it comes to art. Sometimes limiting the options forces one to solve problems more creatively.
I'm planning to do two travel posts in the next week to highlight the beauties of Zell am See and Salzburg. But, for now, I'll just share my little sketches.
{The mountains}
{A 16th century building on the town square}
{Experimenting with watercolour techniques}
{The Festung Hohensalzburg castle in Salzburg, started in 1077}
{This picture expresses everything...}
This was the first week when, no matter now much I wanted to, I couldn't keep up with my resolution to draw every day.
You know what? That's ok.
I'll start again tonight, and keep going with my 365 drawing resolution. If, by the end of the year, there are 350 (or less) instead of 365, it doesn't really matter. What matters is that the resolution gives me a reason to sharpen my pencils and open my ink pots.
So here are 4 drawings for this week. That's still over half the days, so I think I'll consider it a success. (After all, the most important thing is that we're gentle with ourselves...)
I take all the photos with my iphone4 (geriatric, I know), and the pictures always look so crisp and light on my phone screen, but when I upload them here they appear blurry and dark. I wonder why?
And... we're off to the Austrian Alps tomorrow! I'm sure my sketchbook will be filled with mountains and skiers/snowboarders.
You can follow along in real time on my
or Instagram. ( @janeheinrichs )
{Happy Valentines, belatedly!}
Reading //
I've just started the unabridged journals of Sylvia Plath. So far, she is struggling through her studies at Smith and having various rocky relationships with boys. All the entries are written in her clear, strong, eloquent voice.
Watching //
Rubbish reality TV, which makes me feel terribly guilty. By the time 5pm rolls around, I'm exhausted and out of ways to keep Little M entertained. So, we plonk down on the couch together and watch Dinner Date and the Real Housewives (of wherever...).
Thinking about //
What do do for Lent. One year I started to keep a gratitude journal, and wrote down 5 things I was thankful for each evening. I'm thinking of doing that again this year, only hopefully I'll persevere for all 40 days this time!
Anticipating //
Our trip to Austria, and my first ever time in the Alps in winter. I won't ski, as I'm not in that frame of mind, but I'll sit by the fire, drink hot chocolate, and enjoy the scenery.
Grateful for //
The fluffy duvet that I'm curled under right now. There's nothing better than high quality bedding. (And also, all your wonderfully insightful and supportive comments recently. I haven't gotten a chance to respond to all of you, but your kind words mean so much to me.)
Noticing //
That I am writing a lot of lists. Supplies to pack for the trip. Things to buy in our next grocery order. Ways to make life easier. Lists have the power to solve all problems.
Working on //
Writing a story for my own enjoyment. This one has no deadline, and as of yet, no readers. It's so wonderful to steal an hour (during naptime) and escape into this fantastical, imaginary world. Maybe someday it will be finished. Maybe.
Knowing //
That somehow, everything will be ok.
What are you up to currently?
{All photos taken with my iphone4}
I'm not just doing daily drawings for the sake of a fun challenge; they are an essential part of my new existence as a mother.
Just before Christmas I was diagnosed with post-natal depression. I felt like I couldn't recognize myself in my new role. I went to my GP and was referred to a therapist. The options seemed to be weekly therapy (which wasn't possible without childcare) or antidepressants. I wasn't sure what I was feeling was acute or chronic enough to need medication, so I decided I needed to construct my own method for recovery. (Note: Had I thought what I was experiencing was severe enough, I would have accepted medication without question).
Daily drawings were my answer to the problem.
So far I've managed to draw every day this year but one (when I was just too exhausted to lift a pencil). Each small drawing is like a shot of creative happiness into my veins.
This practise is, quite literally, art therapy.
Do you have any creative endeavours that lift your spirits? What are they? I'd love to know.
When I was a teenager I discovered an old notebook of my grandmother's in which she had written down the title of every book she had read as a teenager in her gorgeous, florid handwriting.
Seeing her notebook inspired me, and shortly afterwards I bought a small notebook from our local dollar store and started keeping a reading journal of my own. I have recorded 715 books that I read for pleasure since October 30, 1999 (which is weird, as I just realized that my daughter was born exactly 15 years later!).
I didn't realize when I started how much that little reading journal would influence my life. It has become a bibliography or road map tracking my personality, my worries, my likes, my dislikes and my fascinations.
1. To remember what you've read.
Sometimes I'll remember a story I read, but won't remember the title. Or I'll want to recommend a book that I loved three years ago... It's handy to be able to open my notebook, flip to the relevant page, and find the title and author.
2. To track your changing personality and reading taste.
Certain books speak to us at certain times in our lives. When I look back at the books I was reading a year ago, three years ago or 10 years ago I can see exactly who I was at that time and how those books nourished my personal quests.
3. To keep track of how much you've read.
If you're like me, you are a competitive reader. Each year I want to read more than the year before. The goal isn't always more books, but to read with more discernment. One year I read all of Shakespeare (except for the history plays). Other years I have had other challenges for myself. Keeping a reading journal keeps me accountable for my reading goals.
4. To record your impressions of a book.
My reading journal started out as a simple bibliography (Title, Author, Date Read), and hasn't expanded beyond that. However, I also keep a "Commonplace Book" where I collect quotes and passages that inspire me. This is like an extension of my reading journal.
5. It makes you a better reader and a better writer.
When you keep a book journal you are practising conscientious reading. You're reading with purpose, and giving focused attention to something invariably makes you better at it.
1. Selecting a container.
The decision here is digital vs paper. When I started the digital world wasn't nearly as advanced as it is now. I bought a little notebook from our local dollar store and started recording the books as simple bibliography entries. As that's how I started, I don't think I'm going to change my system. You could get a slightly larger notebook and include your favourite quotes, if you wanted.
I know that Moleskine does a special reading journal notebook, which might be a nice option.
If you want to go digital, you could open a word document, or even use one of the reading log websites such as goodreads or librarything. The thing with goodreads that frustrated me is that you can't record books twice, which means you can never record when you've re-read a book. (My husband always teases me about how often I re-read books.)
2. Decide how much or how little you want to record.
This is completely up to you. Do you want to write a book review and collect quotes for each book? Or do you simply want to record the title, author and date you read it? Those three entries are the absolute minimum. You could also record how you acquired the book or who recommended it to you (bookstore, library, borrowed from friend, found on the train seat, etc). And you could have a system for rating the book. I usually put a small dot beside titles I really enjoyed.
If you do decide to copy quotes, make sure you write down the page numbers for each one, or you'll never be able to find the original again (I've learned from my mistakes).
3. Number the books.
Your first entry will be # 1. Then number each subsequent entry so that you can keep track of how many books you've read since you started. I've read 715 books for pleasure since Oct, 1999. I didn't include the innumerable books I had to read for academic papers and research, as all those books would have been recorded in the various research bibliographies appended to my essays and dissertations.
4. Record the book when you've finished it.
If you don't, you'll lose track.
5. Keep a page or two at the back to record books you want to read.
Whenever someone recommends a book, or I read a book review that sounds interesting, I write the title of the book down in the last pages of my reading journal. That way I'm never stuck for something to read when I have no books on my bedside table.
Have you every kept a reading journal? Do you have any tips?
How happy are you right now? In this moment?
Take a deep breath. Close your eyes. Then open them and look around. Really take it all in.
Are you reading this on your laptop, sitting on your couch and sipping a cup of something? Or are you hunched over your cell phone on a bus, shoulders supporting your head (and all your worries)?
There are times when we feel like we have things more or less figured out: we have a daily routine, we're content, and we feel like we can handle whatever life throws us. Other times life can feel difficult, overwhelming and confusing.
In those moments, do you know what really makes you happy? When it comes to an awareness about the little, specific things that bring a smile to our faces and contentment to our hearts we often draw a blank.
Can you list a few things that trigger a feeling of delight in your daily life?
I'll be honest: life right now has knocked me sideways. (Some of you may have already figured that out by reading between the lines). Motherhood, as amazing as it is, is a huge adjustment, and I've never been one to enjoy change. I feel like I've forgotten what makes me happy in the storm of trying to cope with day to day challenges.
So, I've decided to approach life with the spirit of a detective to figure out what's missing. It's difficult to experience happiness when we're not able to savour small moments or be aware of our surroundings.
We need to curate the happiness in our lives like a museum director.
So, in this quest I've discovered that I love:
Keeping a journal
Shoes (this surprised me, as I'm not much of a fashionista)
Sipping a glass of wine after dinner
Flowers on my coffee table (currently I have a blushing sunrise of roses and tulips)
Red polish on my toenails
Drawing, anything, every day (watch my facebook or instagram to keep up with those)
Reading (Books, blogs, magazines....)
Living in London
Poetry (my local library doesn't even have one poetry book aside from Shakespeare... so I need to go on a hunt)
Organizing
Ballet (watching; dancing)
Yoga (I now do my sun salutations with Little M watching with amusement in her bouncy chair)
Photography
Lattes
Snow (it snowed in London this week!)
Beautiful artwork hanging on our walls (we're starting to collect South African artists)
Hearing church bells pealing in Sunday morning
Plus more
(I'm still investigating, I'll keep you posted)
What do you love? Can you make a list of small things that bring a smile to your face? Maybe it's listening to your favourite album, or watching the sunset over the rooftops, or selecting the perfect croissant from your local bakery each morning... Get creative, put on your Sherlock cap and get thinking.
We should all investigate what our personal preferences are so that we can recognize and embrace moments of happiness that our unique to us.
Now... take another deep breath. And try to find one thing to do today that will fill you with child-like joy.
Bon courage!
{PDF printable Valentine available
}
Today is a quiet day. The snow is muffling the busy sounds of the city. All I can hear are the bewildered birds chirping on the pollarded trunks of the plane tree across the street.
Baby is sleeping too, for which I am very grateful.
A few years ago I remember reading a book (touted by Oprah) called Simple Steps. The basic premise was one would add 4 new habits each week, for several weeks (say 12, maybe). I remember two of the habits for the first week were drinking water and cleaning out one drawer or cupboard. This book has stuck in my mind, because I feel like I need to make similar small, daily/weekly/monthly steps towards building a new healthy routine.
Despite all my searching, I can't find that book anywhere now. It's almost like I imagined it, and it never existed at all. (It had a daisy on the cover, so if you know of it, please let me know where to find a copy!)
This week my simple steps are: drinking water, doing yoga (or a few ballet barre exercises) each morning, drawing each day and posting the sketches to instagram and facebook, and making a to-do list each evening (which I try to adhere to the next day).
What are your small daily routines that keep you sane and on track?
On my list today was to write a blog post...
So here we go...
February is the month of love, and I thought I'd share these valentines printables I designed a year ago.
I'd love to design a few more printables to post in my etsy shop this year. What types of things would you like? A few ideas I had were: perpetual calendars, recipe cards, party invites, thank-you cards, gift tags....
do any of you fabulous readers have any other suggestions?
I had intended to write a post for my usual Wednesday blog slot, but this week carried me away in a tidal wave of diapers, soothers, and unfolded laundry.
It's not that time is rushing, because it isn't. In fact, I sometimes feel like time has never passed so slowly since Little M was born. Each second seems new and strange, and something to adjust to. I'm grateful for the apparent change in pace, for I can savour each delightful moment in its fullness (both length and depth, for time is not just linear).
And, when I can, I sketch.
In time, I want to focus on writing as well. And I was thinking of writing a series of posts on journalling.
Would that be of interest to anyone?
Follow the growing sketchbook on
or
.
As you might expect, adjusting to life with a newborn hasn't been easy. Amidst all the joyful cooing and smiles, there are teary meltdowns and wakeful nights. At first I thought I would never be able to draw or write again. But as Little M grows, week by week, I'm finding that we're feeling more comfortable with each other and our new routines.
As an effort to nourish all the creative facets of my soul, I'm trying to draw something every day. Even the smallest sketch, or the action of picking up my pencil, makes me feel more whole.
I've been posting each tiny sketch on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and the words of encouragement from all my followers are giving me the courage to continue. If I can... if I'm brave enough... I want to challenge myself to post a drawing every day this year.
Do you think I can?
