Sunday Serenity…
Hi there
Thanks for popping in. Enjoying a little peace and tranquility here. I‘ve been cleaning the kitchen. Dave Bowie’s been keeping me company. I do like a bit of Dave Bowie on a Sunday morning. What a legend. So yes. I’ve been cleaning and singing and dancing actually! What do you like listening to when you’re doing the housework?
When you get into Taoism, The Way, as we are trying to here, you learn that deep meditation resides in banal, everyday activities. Provided you can immerse yourself in each process- be it making a cup of tea or emptying the dishwasher – there’s a great deal of peace and tranquility to be found in those tasks. Let’s not call them chores. Chores has a negative ring to it. Even more interesting is that I feel happy and energised afterwards too, not to mention pleased to have made the home fresher.
Simplicity, Patience and Compassion. These are key to Taoism. I can certainly keep things simple, and be very patient and compassionate. But not always. Just as often I can over complicate things, and lose patience with people, places and things. Much as I like to think of myself as a compassionate person, I sometimes catch myself being less than loving. No point in trying to justify it depending on the circumstances. You either show compassion or you lack compassion. Mmm. So the good news is that all three are within me. And probably within you too. Now I just have to learn consistency.
Quote for today:
Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.
Laozi
Of course, there’s so much more to Taoism than that! But in this world where things are going completely haywire, perhaps a return to simpler things and thoughts would benefit us. It certainly can’t do any harm!
Have a good day. Make something. I’m going to enjoy a few hours of pottery. Also good for the soul.
Love always.
Barb x x x
21 thoughts on “Sunday Serenity…”
Bowie is my go to 😊
Have a lovely day xx
I’m making, I have a secret squirrel project, and it’s right up my street. It very hard to find something different to do when you are so used to something the way it is. I love a challenge so I’m just going to have to put my thinking cap on and see where this journey takes me.
house work, I find therapeutic, not all jobs are enjoyed but the satisfaction of a sparkly clean home, especially clean fresh bedding always makes me feel relaxed and at ease, which is why I used to do a huge blitz on a Friday night, ready for a weekend, so I could relax and enjoy the space I’d be inhabiting for the weekend.
love a bit of music to help it along.
We’ve been watching” A Crowded Room” on Apple very thought provoking, and trying to work out who’s who in each episode, the sound track is pretty haunting too.
Have a lovely weekend… im off to finish my secret squirrel project.xx 😍
Housework – unknown word, please re-phrase the question.
Just been looking up my chinese words – I have one which means dangerous. Very useful. And Maggie, which is spelt sort of phonetically – Mah-Ghi.
Hope you are well – despite working hard – housewise.
Love
Mah-Ghi – York (UK)
After a while of not feeling well or creative, today I made something! Once I got started the ideas flowed. Based on using “what we have” because I couldn’t face a big tidy up afterwards..all will be revealed.
Afternoon. I, like Tina have secret squirrel projects to keep me busy and making. I love that now my life if very much a creative one.
Colin likes to do the cleaning and I do the washing and some ironing although it’s less than it used to be when we both worked. Music helps everything along very nicely. Or a good book being read to me!
Colin is decorating our kitchen so not much I can do other than get crafting.
Enjoy your pottery session Barbara.
Love and hugs xxxx
Away this weekend so brought some zentangle to do and just had an hour doing that while hubby watched golf and our friend caught up with something she wanted to do. Now we’re going out to lunch. Not a lot else to do because of the weather ! Enjoy your potting. X
I think that is why I enjoy parchment craft so much. it’s a process that takes time and mindfulness. It really helps to take my mind off pain and discomfort, I can also think of others at the same time, and when I tell people that they are in my thoughts and prayers, it is usually when I’m snipping out lace work etc.
Just been outside deadheading the flowers – gardening is also very mindful for me. I’m going to watch the tennis this afternoon but might do some mindful crochet at the same time.
Went to the cinema to see the Ziggy at Hammersmith Odeon ‘farewell’ gig 3 July.
FIFTY YEARS ago to the day!
The years just rolled away but where did they go?
Hi Barbara
My favourite thing Is ironing it takes me to a happy place. Either listening to Bette Midler or Billy Joel. Just going to settle down to men’s final that’s where I lose the compassion I would love to see someone else win it I find Djokovic far to arrogant.
Enjoy your pottery Jackie has been asked to do some goblets for Enigma Border Morris side based in Stoke Sub Hamden hopefully will turn out ok.
Love Ruth and Jackie xx
What a thoughtful and thought provoking blog. Certainly put me in a much better frame of mind. Off to try my I’ll gotten tea-bags! In the kitchen a craft room got a hole in the ceiling and a bucket! Thank you to Grace for passing on my tea-bag anecdote. Much love x
I spend my Sunday mornings crafting and singing along to the tunes on Danny Bowes (lead singer of the band Thunder) radio show on Planet Rock or some Bowie, Springsteen, Billy Joel, Dire Straights or Fleetwood Mac. Love to sing along to some great music. I love ironing too, people think I am barmy but I find it very calming and love the pile of washing turning into beautiful piles of pressed items.
Enjoy your day everyone
Where do you live? You can come and do my ironing anyday. That and cleaning the oven are pretty close to the top of jobs I really don’t like doing. Radio 4 for me, preferably a good play rather than music. Good job we are all different! Take care all you crafting colleagues. X
Hi Barb, glad you had a good Sunday.
I got up early, did a big pile of ironing, did a deep clean on two bathrooms and the small loo and utility room then shattered sat down for a coffee and fell asleep. Watched a Christmas film over lunch then set about getting all my gear together for a 2 day crafting marathon. Hubby is cooking dinner tonight bless him.
Hopefully my plans for the first clear week in ages will not go astray.
Cloudy and wet here but the flowers are looking grand and colourful, very cheery.
Enjoy the rest of the day.
My favourite quote is ” housework won’t kill you, but why take the chance ? ” I can always find something else to do. I do beadwork which I find very mindful and have just managed to finish a complicated necklace that I started at the Bead Festival in May.
Take care of yourself Barbara. Xx
love your quote about housework.
Hope you had a good afternoon with your pottery, Barb. I’ve been playing at my craft desk with some new goodies – always therapeutic!
Hi Barbara,
A very energizing blog. Get your tasks out of the way early and you be left with plenty of time to do your favourite things.
I need dance music to do housework chores like vacuuming and dusting, to get some rhythm going! My favourites for many years have been Wham, Wake me up before you go go and Mental as Anything, Hey you on the dance floor. Of course, with some Bon Jovi thrown in for good measure. A case of different strokes for different folks, I suppose . For relaxing with my craft etc I now listen to audio books, thanks to your recommendation.
Have a good week. x
I spent the day working, thank heavens for shorter Sunday retail working hours, we were very busy with lots of lovely customers, I’m very luck where I work, so the sound I liked the most today was as the last customer left, zen like moments as you tidy up before going home.
Hello Barb, what a beautiful quote. I love listening to music in General, and the amazing Mr Bowie is right up there as one of my favourites. We went to see Jools Holland in Kew gardens on Sunday and apart from the atrocious weather it was such a lovely concert, he had some amazing supporting acts, check out Germein, they are sisters and really good, and always the lovely Ruby Turner. Really enjoyed ourselves. My ODS has arrived, so trying to plot how to have a play while on conference calls!! Take care everyone. Bx