Externally these days life is very stable and lacking in adversity, chaos or drama. This is great! Big changes need time to settle, and I have been doing a lot of settling and soothing.
And yet…in my little cocoon there is a lack of enthusiasm or inspiration felt day to day. In its stability life is all a bit predictable, under stimulating and ‘samey’. I think a part of me is being neglected here, the childlike curious part that is thrilled by exploration, change and adventure.
Time is passing by fast, a week quickly becomes a month and then a year and soon it will be 5 then 10 years. I would not like to find myself older and wishing I had taken more risks, explored and travelled more. I go for a morning swim, pretty much sit here all day long alone, then a dusk park walk. I could easily do this for 10 years!
I thought it would be interesting to ask the question ‘What enthuses me?’ with a view to designing more of those things into my life and making sure that life doesn’t pass me by in a woolly blur of stability and comfort.
So here goes. What do I LOVE? What energises me? And what could I do to bring more of these activities into life?
- Exploring new places. I so love doing that. At dusk in the park last night I found a new stream and it thrilled me a little as I followed it up to an old Victorian culvert. I am thrilled x 100 when seeing new architecture, and see how different cultures express beauty. I was beside myself with joy visiting Bali 8 years ago. Everywhere I looked it was a visual treat. So travel, yes big time. ACTION- TRAVEL! Im actually going to France next month, Hungary the month after and about to book Croatia for the month after. Got my eye on Bali, and working out how to take 2 weeks away from here. Maybe some visits to inspiring gardens around the world.
- Meeting people. Connecting with people particularly in a deep intimate way I love. The sensing of I am you and you are me. Deep conversations. Conversations where both parties are exploring and each leave with more than they arrived with by going into new territory together. ACTION-make more effort to connect. Theres a guy who has a shop 100 metres from here who is into non duality, I could pop in there more often. MeetUps too are potential places to meet like minds. My weekly mindfulness is great for this type of spiritual connecting ACTION
- I enjoy writing, it helps me consolidate and is both stimulating and relaxing too. Maybe more self expression would be good. ACTION – write a separate Travel Blog for the upcoming travelling planned?
- Risk taking – I do love a bit of this. Taking part in things that are a little scary. ACTION – Start a Youtube channel about the , sharing what i have learned so that I can help people? Think this would be both scary and good for confidence.
- Music. Today in the supermarket I had black sabbath protecting my sanity from the hideous shit they were blasting out. Every day I listen to music, I go to see live bands too several times a year, a big treat. ACTION – Find out who is coming to play. Go and see bands I love abroad.
- Getting up close to nature, loving it, being awestruck by the design and beauty, photographing it, feeling at one with it. ACTION – get out with the camera more often, take camera into nature abroad.
- Helping People – I get a thrill about being useful, and being part of the circle of virtue that goes on out there in the world. ‘Coincidentally’ an email just came in from a community group in a deprived local area who are starting a growing project on waste ground and asking for help. They have no money at all. So I just ordered them tools, seeds and gloves to make a start. ACTION – I am considering doing year 2 and 3 of the psychotherapy qualification
- Getting educated and learning new skills – ACTION-Travel, education courses
- Creating things with my hands. I used to make things, mobiles, paper mache sculptures. Now I design and make gardens of course but I miss out on the physical hands on creativity. ACTION – Take a class in something like pottery or silver smithing
I feel energised just thinking about these things and writing about them. Here’s a photo I took last night on my walk.
Learning to Rest with it All 