The Power of Useless Pursuits

I am a big fan of the overlooked, underrated aspects of life—useless things like sitting out on my deck on a sunny winter day with a cup of warm chai; waking in the morning just in time for sunrise; or spending a candle lit evening enjoying the warmth of my woodstove or a drink with my friends.

Easily entertained? Maybe. However, what I’ve become more aware of is that these experiences are deeply nurturing, fulfilling and therefore, in my opinion, necessary. They serve an important role in my life provided I slow down long enough to partake and reap the benefits.

And therein lies the rub. Many people live lives that squeeze these tender moments out—no time for such frivolity—but I say being deeply nurtured and fulfilled can hardly be considered frivolity in view of the increasing prevalence of depression and other maladies of dis-ease in society today.

In all fairness my freedom does come at a price—I’ve had to radically downsize, revise expectations and re-organize my life—I recognize we all have diverse and challenging circumstances to navigate. However, when we truly risk engaging our imaginations in re-designing our lives, we stand a much better chance of locating saner options for living and enjoying them.

For me, particularly as a writer, sitting on my deck in a chaise goes far. It creates space for the world to reveal its complex beauty, for experiencing transcendent, unexpected moments of insight and just being aware of how very alive I am as part of it all.

This is it.

Why settle for a substitute life?

Intrinsic Worth

I am told that when small children nowadays are asked what they want to be when they grow up, rather than the usual fireman, nurse, cowboy/girl or even doctor, most simply say, ‘famous.’ Is this not just plain sad—a grievous reflection of our society’s rampant and obscene glorification of celebrity culture, at the expense of every other way of life?

Sorry to be blunt, but I think it’s clear that most of us are not destined for stardom.

However we should count our blessings because not only is it a bit of a charade lacking honesty as well as generosity, but the bulk of the populous are by default excluded leaving many to question even a basic sense of self worth, and of course I strenuously object. That’s just crazy.

Got to be careful what we buy into, yes? What about intrinsic worth?

One of the greatest gifts I believe we offer the world is our presence and by this I mean that when we cultivate the habit of being true to ourselves and at ease in our own skin, we begin to radiate a warmth and confidence which helps others feel more relaxed, comfortable and at ease in theirs.

It’s called self-possession.

This may seem like a pointless, even useless endeavour. There is no fame involved and no one, after all, is going to pay you millions because you are sovereign of yourself. However, the world is an infinitely better place for the warmth of your presence and lightness of your spirit. You can’t put a price on that.

So, throw open the door of your heart and invite generosity into your life. Open up to all the ways, small and large, in which you are rich, full and complete—nothing to fix, nothing to be, only the fantastic wealth of all it means to be alive and human—much to discover, love and appreciate.

Shine on. ;)

From Mindless Consumption to Culture Making

What if the locus of one’s life was not consumerism, but one’s giftedness, rendering our participation in life an act of giving, of culture building, of creation and contribution to society? Beautiful.

I love the idea of culture making because of the way it shifts the whole business of life from mindless consumption of cultural clutter, to mindful participation in the design and creation of considerate cultural offerings.

It isn’t, for me, about being a Margaret Atwood or Mary Oliver, or any other version of greatness as such (though these two are great sources of inspiration), it’s about being who I am, becoming more of who I am—exploring, essentially, what it means to be a vibrant, awake participant in my own life and finding ways to express that.

It’s also about aligning my compass with that change I would like to see in the world.

Part of my recent re-location has been fuelled by frustration with a society that struggles to make room for its citizenry to do much more than just get by. Perpetually existing in a state of survival mode only erodes our ability to make a meaningful societal contribution—as I can only too well attest.  

In order to utilize our full potential for participation in life—as an act of giving, of culture building, of creation and contribution to society—we need a little free time, time unfettered by the usual demands of putting a roof over our heads and food in our mouths.

Tell me how in the absence of this we can possibly give birth to anything that’s got life in it?

Love, beauty, truth, freedom—these are the touchstones of every great cultural offering.

The artist Kiki Smith has been quoted as saying, “Just do your work. And if the world needs your work it will come and get you. And if it doesn’t, do your work anyway.” All of which is to say, we don’t have control over how the world receives our work, but it is nonetheless important to commit to the practice.

In this effort we glean much information about ourselves, about our relationship to family, society and the world. Participating in this very creative endeavour alters us for the better, making us more human and nurturing us.  

Each of us is gifted. To develop that gift and exercise it is one of life’s true joys. And shaping society around a locus of giving in this sense is not only very natural, but necessary as well.

It’s the gift of heart and soul.

Georgia, Georgia ...

“I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.” –Georgia O’Keeffe

Well said. I greatly admire Georgia O’Keeffe for being exactly who she was, for sharing her original view of the world rather than acquiescing to the societal norms of her day. It is something when we accomplish so great a task as being in solidarity with ourselves, clear about who we are and what we are about in the world.

Integrity—being true to oneself—is vital for health and happiness and yet it often seems as though it is the first casualty upon engagement with the world. Whether driven by economic necessity or anxious desires to fit in, we give away precious aspects of our individuality and are poorer in every sense for it.

We want to belong, even need to belong. I get that. However, the sort of belonging that demands we divorce core parts of ourselves in the name of economic success or social status seems only a thinly veiled form of enslavement to me. Can you imagine how much originality, how much beauty is lost to the world when we sell our souls so cheaply?

There is nothing more important than living life in solidarity with oneself (being more of who you are). Truly.

For Life thrives on diversity—that is a large part of its beauty—and beauty, as they say, is its own reward.