Beyond the Garden Gate

  The secret to life is creating joy where you are right now and even though it is a matter of mindset (inner world) there are things you can do in your outside world to help create those thoughts and feelings. Getting flowers for your home is one of those things. People often think “why spend $ and time in something that is going to die?” Even though flowers seem impractical and senseless they are not, those simple pleasures & non-essentials are what makes life worth living. They create joy and with that a wave of actions. Think for a moment your desk full of papers and clutter how do you feel and what thoughts run thought your head? Stressed? Overwhelm? Now take all stuff away and put a vase of flowers now how do you feel? Joy? Inspiration? Beauty? Same with a dinning room table empty with nothing on it vs with a vase or small jar of flowers, it instantly transforms the energy and atmosphere of the space. You don’t need a lot of $, it’s about awareness, staying mindful how yo...

  I don’t know why I tend to save my pretty things and not use them! I actually don’t think I’m the only one that does this… do you? I have been making an effort and forcing myself to actually use those things in random every day life, even if I have no where to go or people over, I keep repeating myself “I’m not wasting that dress using it for being at home or my fancy tea cups/china for eatting breakfast…” Last year I learned with my sister’s sudden departure from this life we don’t know when our last day will be so what are we saving our nice stuff for? When I went to help with her belongings it hit me like a ton of bricks if WE don’t enjoy our beautiful things or use them someone else will or they will be discarded or sent to a donation shop… so what is the point of leaving things in a cubert or a box or the closet if we really like them? Yes, the dress will get used up and the china will get chipped but it also got loved and enjoyed! This is why even though it makes me twitch ...

  Some details in life may look insignificant but appear to be vital leitmotifs in a person’s life. They may have the value of “Rosebuds” of Citizen Kane or “Madeleine cookies” of Marcel Proust or “Strawberry fields” of the Beatles. People regularly walk down the memory lane of their early youth. The paper boats of their childhood are recurrently floating on the waves of their mind and bring back the mood and the spirit of the early days. They enable us to retreat from the trivial, daily worries and can generate delightful bliss and true joy in a sometimes frantic and chaotic life. (“Paper boats forever” ) Erik Pevernagie One of our favorite memories, paper boat, from this summer will be picking and munching on berries gifted by the fairies that live in the fairy house we bult in our little strawberry patch. I am comstantlt reminding myself to focus on the good, on the beauty, on the love… no matter what or how hard it might seem, there is always something to be thankful for and bl...