Everyday Inspirations

Today is the 1^st of August, the horse’s birthday. Although I have not had the opportunity to spend much time with horses I do admire the grandeur of the creatures. And it seems an appropriate day to sing the praises of other domestic creatures.

A friend recently told me a story, a story which had astonished her, leaving her in awe of the intelligence of animals.

A parent from the school that her children attend had spent most of the day in search of her wayward pets. Her two dogs had escaped from her yard in the morning. Obviously enjoying their day of freedom, these canine scamps had not returned.

At 3pm that afternoon the woman had headed to the school to collect her children, whilst still searching the streets for the family’s two fury members, only to discover the dogs already at school and waiting for the children.

Dogs are creatures of habit; they know instinctively when they will be fed, when family members are to be picked up or due home, the time to go for a walk and when it is time to sleep at night. Wishing to please their humans, a dog will go with the flow of the day’s events, taught to them by their humans.

Instinct and intuition are an animal’s only means of communication.

Animals have no use for words. For that matter, they have little use for any of the human requirements that we all seem to feel are a necessary commodity to help us through our lives.

Shelter for any beast is whatever they can find; the canopy of a tree will do, to protect them from the elements, although based on my own experience, my dog prefers to curl up in front of the fireplace on a cold winter’s night, as opposed to curling up on the back veranda! However, my pets show absolutely no regard for the decor of their abode; their concern is far more inclined towards tactile pleasantries.

Animals require so little, yet know so much. If we could quieten our own minds enough to tune into the simplicity of the minds of our pets, what an array of wisdom we would have access to!

Each afternoon in my home, at 3.45pm, my two cats and one dog all head towards the front of my house and wait at the window that has the view towards the street. Knowing my youngest son is due home from school, they are ready to fuss over him when he walks through the door.  This same ritual is repeated with the arrival home of each family member.

A dog’s love and loyalty to its human family knows no limits.

One hot summer’s day my eldest daughter was home alone and decided to go for a dip in the pool, but was prevented from doing so as our beautiful Nellie, a German Shepherd, blocked her way along the path. When a large brown snake (one of the deadliest snakes in the world) reared up at them, the reason for Nellie’s protection became obvious.

Before my two eldest children were born, my husband and I had another “baby”; a German Shepherd named Sire. I trusted that dog implicitly! Sire travelled with us wherever we went.

One hot summer, many years ago, during a trip to Dubbo, in the middle of New South Wales, we took Sire for a swim in the Macquarie River. My husband and Sire swam out to the middle of the river, while I stayed closer to the riverbank. After a while my husband encouraged me to swim out further, but Sire was not impressed.

Dog-paddling over to me, he took my arm in his mouth and swam me back to the shore. Amazed by his behaviour, I swam out again, only to be “rescued” a second time by Sire. Not too long after Sire’s unusual behaviour my husband noticed a current in the river…we all got out!

Sire stayed in our lives for fifteen years, before old age got the better of him. What lessons Sire taught me during those fifteen years! He spoke with his eyes, he protected with his manner, he loved us from deep within his heart.

After my first son was born, when Sire was eight years old, he made it very clear to us that Ben was his responsibility also. We couldn’t have asked for a more attentive baby sitter than Sire.

We are told that we, as humans, are the superior race…but are we really? Perhaps the answer to that question is yes in the majority of instances. But I have to question the use of, or rather lack of use, of our own human intuition.

If we were able to peel back all of the layers of pretence, wrapped around us during the years as we progress through our lives, wouldn’t we discover the same animal instincts, which I so admire in the pets I have had the pleasure of sharing my home with?

We teach our pets the “niceties” expected of them; controlling their natural impulse to lunge at a person in happiness upon seeing them, walking them on the street with the use of a lead as that is what the law requests of us, sit, stay, don’t sniff, don’t bark, on and on it goes.

And then, I’ll be in a room of my house, wondering where my animals have wandered off to, but the wondering doesn’t have to last for long…next moment, they are standing next to me.

Instinct has brought them to me…words are unnecessary. Animals “know”, without any words.

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Yesterday I spoke about my thoughts on “Adopting the Minimalist Approach”, a subject which I feel quite strongly about for my own life, and although the concept is to “minimise” the material and emotional baggage in our lives, I have reached the conclusion that to minimise is, well, rather a complex subject.

Although we say we want to discard the unwanted material “stuff” in our homes, we don’t always actually take the action to do it…

What is it that we are so afraid of?

Let me tell you about the emotional tug o’ war I experienced myself, just this week, when sorting through the unused clothing hanging in my own wardrobe ~

Tucked away, right at the far end of the hanging rack, I had a long sleeved blouse, a gift from my mother; a short sleeved blouse, a gift from my father, and a knitted beige top, another gift from my father. When these items were newer, I wore them constantly. Each item, in its turn, had once been a much loved article of clothing.

Now, these clothes were yellowing, and smelled “musty”. Why? My mother has been gone nearly seventeen years, and my father, nearly twelve years!

“Who am I kidding”, I asked myself, “by hanging onto these clothes, will it bring my parents back??”

The truth of the matter is, if my parents were able, they would be the first to tell me to get rid of the clothes…and now I have.

What other excuses do we make to ourselves, you know, the self-talk moments we all have, when trying to justify why we can’t let go? ‘I might wear it/need it again one day’ or ‘I’ll fit into it again, when I lose weight’ or even ‘it’ll cost so much to replace it’.

I’m as guilty as the next person, I procrastinate when it comes time for the big clean out. But you know something? Once you start tossing that unwanted stuff into bags or boxes, momentum kicks in…The more you part with, the easier it gets!

Every time I get rid of more stuff, I feel liberated, and lighter. It’s like a weight has lifted off my shoulders. I keep on going back to admire the clean, neat, tidy and emptier cupboards!

Getting rid of unwanted “stuff” fills me with a sense of achievement.

Another gigantic plus to owning less clothing is…a smaller ironing pile! More time away from the ironing board! Now, you can’t complain about that, can you? I’m not!

Every action we take should be motivated by the question of how this is going to improve our life.

With less clutter in our life ~ we can breathe more easily; it lifts the burden of the “excess weight” of material possessions.

When the clutter has been removed ~ it opens up the “space” around us, both physically and emotionally, making way for fresh, new, wonderful experiences to find us.

When the clothing is minimised ~ we spend less time deciding what to wear (and the ironing pile is smaller! )

If you are planning on minimising the “stuff” that is blocking the flow of your life, I encourage you to ask yourself what it is that is holding you back from letting go. And be honest with yourself.

And if all else fails, think about how happy dogs are. All they ask for is food, shelter, love and a kind word. They don’t need any of the “stuff” we humans accumulate, but they are happy.

How about making yourself a little happier too?

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What with all of the cold weather we have had of late, I decided that I was well overdue for a new jumper. Not just any jumper though, it had to be the soft, cosy variety, one that invites you to wrap yourself up in it, cuddle up on your favourite chair with a steaming hot cup of coffee or chocolate and a good book, whist enjoying this temporary dose of cooler days.

As it has become my habit over the past few years, my initial thought was simply to take myself off on a shopping trip to buy a ready-made jumper. On second thoughts, however, I came up with an even better plan, a plan which the “old me” would have come up with immediately. Like I said, I have developed a few “habits” over recent years, all of which I now recognise as “easy” fixers.

Back in the good old days, I made quite a few of my own, and my children’s clothes. Growing up in a family of crafty minded people, (and I mean that in the nicest way, as in, self-sufficient), it would have been impossible for me not to learn the finer arts of sewing, embroidery and cross-stitch, crochet and knitting.

From the tender age of ten or eleven, it was nothing for me to whip up a new jumper or two for myself each winter, not to mention a few jumpers, cardigans, trousers, beanies, gloves and scarves for my dolls along the way!

My babies always wore little hand knitted jumpers, jackets and booties, made out of the finer three and four ply baby wool and progressing to jumpers knitted in the thicker yarns as they grew older. My neighbour once noted that my daughter’s doll was better dressed than some babies she had seen!

As the years progressed, the quicker and easier way of acquiring new outfits has crept in, that being a quick trip to a crowded shopping centre. Not this time, though. I caught myself before rushing out of the door in pursuit of a mass produced number, taking the alternate route to the local craft store.

The familiar feeling of browsing through pattern books, wool colours and knitting needles was a delight in itself, and made all the more pleasurable when my eldest daughter met me at the store, to help me make my choice.

With pattern, wool and knew new knitting needles chosen, I left the store feeling a sense of achievement, and I hadn’t even knitted a stitch yet! Just the mere fact that I was making a return to the basics, rather than taking the easier and more expensive route, was extremely gratifying.

With my knitted jumper now in progress, each night I sit comfortably in my chair, my older “Queen Cat” cat curled up beside me, younger “Cutie Cat” asleep on the chair next to me and my dog snoring away contentedly at my feet.

Ah yes, that’s what life’s all about. There’s a lot to be said for enjoying the basics.

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How do you define happiness? Ever given it much thought? Perhaps it’s simply a matter of flippantly commenting that you are either happy, or unhappy, without giving the feeling any further thought at all.

The theme this month at the Calm Space is “happiness” and I have been giving the feeling of happiness some further investigation myself. My conclusion is ~ happiness is a state of mind, and an extremely personal state at that.

It is impossible for another person to make you feel happy. You may feel happy when spending time with someone special to you, perhaps a person you love. Thoughtful actions from a person can give a feeling of happiness as well. Remember though, they didn’t make you feel that way, you made the decision to feel happy yourself; it was your own choice.

Yes, happiness is very personal.

Happiness arrives in my own life in a multitude of different ways. Today, I will share with you my ultimate list, (in no particular order), of things that make me happy, swell my heart, make my spirit soar and bring a smile to my face.

Happiness is…

• Stroking my cat’s silky fur and listening to them purr.
• Listening to my son play the piano.
• Eating chocolate and drinking coffee, together.
• Watching a bee collect pollen from a flower in my garden.
• Feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin, on a cool winter’s day.
• The cooling summer’s rain, hitting my hot, sticky skin.
• Listening to the chiming of my clock.
• My dog, leaping after the ball, when we play fetch.
• Walking along the beach, on a winter’s day.
• Writing a letter and posting it, the old-fashioned way.
• Hearing the happiness in my daughter’s voice, when she talks to her friends.
• A hawk, gliding high above the ground, in search of its prey.
• The sky full of twinkling stars, on a clear night.
• Hearing the sound of a child’s laughter.
• A picnic in the park, next to the river.
• Reading a book, with no interruptions.
• The smell of roses and the feeling of the petals touching my face.
• Baking a favourite cake in my kitchen.
• A hug from one of my children.
• The feel of the black velvet fur of my dog.
• Cuddling up under a blanket on a cold night.
• Eating a freshly picked mandarin, from the tree in my garden.
• Seeing the ocean, from the back of my house, on a clear day.
• Taking a holiday with my family, at my favourite holiday destination.
• Arriving home again, refreshed, after a holiday.
• Spending hours, browsing through a second-hand book shop.
• Holding a new born baby.

Just thinking about these things makes me happy!

This list could go on forever! I’m sure you could add so much more to the list…so please do!

Don’t forget to pop over to the Calm Space also, where you will find Angela feeling grateful for happiness, Chania Girl giving up on the pursuit of happiness (fun!) and Káren declaring that it’s all about happiness!

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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!

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