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Let the silence breathe

6 comments note to self

Expanded consciousness

I am a sucker for seductive ideas. After being in love with the flow idea, I'm now absolutely fascinated by the expanded consciousness idea:

If you have a golf-ball-sized consciousness, when you read a book, you’ll have a golf-ball-sized understanding; when you look out a window, a golf-ball-sized awareness; when you wake up in the morning, a golf-ball-sized wakefulness; and as you go about your day, a golf-ball-sized inner happiness. But if you can expand that consciousness, make it grow, then when you read that book, you’ll have more understanding; when you look out, more awareness; when you wake up, more wakefulness; and as you go about your day, more inner happiness.

 David Lynch              

So how can one make it grow? In his book  Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity,  Lynch says that you expand your ball of consciousness from deep within through meditation (transcendental meditation in particular for him), and keep growing from there to the unbounded and infinite.

I have been meditating on and off for the past year and I can sense the possibility of this. But I doubt it's the only way. There were a few times in my life when I believe I have experienced a growth in my consciousness, usually related with a profound connection with nature (the view from the top of the mountain, special sunsets, star watching, ...) or learning new things,  but also on periods where I am the most melancholic and everything seems more clear and real to me, definitely  the moment I became a mother or (!) even after a few glasses of wine.

How do you expand your consciousness?

Leave a Comment Overread, simple pleasures

Food matters

There is a myriad of advice on healthy food and many revised scientific articles or doctors sustaining a different ideal way of eating. I find it is very important to literate one selves in order to make conscious choices, but in the end, it’s always a personal choice. One that reflects not just on your health, but also on the food production system, the economy and the environment. There’s no good or bad way to go about it, it’s just a matter of making the choices that better align with your needs, what you are and/or want to become.

You are what you eat 

For our family, this translates on following a whole food, plant-based diet, meaning we eat mostly whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts. We do it not only because we believe it’s delicious and good for our health, but equally because we think it’s the single most important thing we can do as individuals for the sustainability of our planet.

For me personally, I also see it as a kinder way for me to flow through life. (But I do emphasise the personal in this. I don't think it’s any requirement to be kind, or that it makes me kinder than anyone else not doing it. It just makes me a kinder version of myself, and that’s a big thing for me).

I doubted on writing about this, but I also believe that in a world where we often feel powerless as individuals to make an impact on big issues, such as world hunger or environmental changes, what we choose to eat is one powerful tool to navigate life and take action towards sustainability and kindness. To the earth, to other beings and to ourselves. And, despite not wanting to push my own very personal ideas on anyone, it felt important to say so.

2 comments simple journey | thoughts

Winter

As I look outside my window, the sight feels my heart with both sadness and astonishment. The strong, majestic neighbour trees did not fare well the past wintery week.

We got away more lightly, though it was a week where the easiness of our normal daily life was vividly exposed. Not surprisingly, the more stripped from our luxuries we are, the more we value the ones we have.

In times like this, the busy life we lead makes no sense to me. I would like to stop everything and stay put,  contemplating the force of nature.  And, as the trees will surely recover, to be filled with renewed enthusiasm.

8 comments

Capture life

Memory is the most precarious form of documentation because it dies when the one who remembers dies, it is as if life were the document of itself - a life that, at any moment, forgets itself.

João Tordo | O Livro dos Homens sem Luz

Don't you ever wonder what happens to the memories we forget?

Or maybe we don't forget, we simply don't have them present, but they reside inside of us in some way.

I don't know, but I always find great value in documenting life outside our memory. To me, is not about living in the past, but putting light on the daily life. Maybe even shaping the future?

4 comments Overread

Owning our our happiness

Last year, I read an advice on relationships that resonated deeply with me:

It’s important to remember that each partner is responsible for their own happiness. You can’t rely on the other one to always entertain you.

Being very fond of the stoics ideals, I try to keep in mind that it is entirely my responsibility how I react to others sayings or doings but somehow I missed this point when it comes to my most significant one.

I tend to forget that it isn't his job to make me happy, it's my job to make me happy, so this year, I will be celebrating Valentines by re-reading and sharing this wonderful piece about a happy relationship and working on making myself happy, with the certainty that our relationship can only benefit from it.

Happy Valentines, if you celebrate it!

6 comments simple journey | thoughts

How to look like a model

JP' educator writes a weekly journal from her activities with the kids during the week. One of these days, we read in the journal that they had been doing collages of letters and photos from newspapers and magazines. It showed how fun they had cutting and some of their findings, one of which had the legend:

Silvio found a woman just like João's mom! 

It took me a few moments to get who João's mom is before I burst into laughter of amusement!

In case you're curious, here is the picture of the magazine and also one of me, pretending to be her...
(If you're wondering... I'm the second one, he, he)

My point: If, for some reason I can not imagine right now, you ever want to look like a young model from a magazine, don't go for photoshop nor Instagram filters, instead, look for the eyes of a five-year-old child. The best filter of the world!

Leave a Comment simple life lessons from a child