Too Many To Choose Just One
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Too Many To Choose Just One

What was my favorite book as a child? I was such a bookworm that I couldn’t possibly pick just one. And I still own so many of the books that I loved as a child and teenager that now I qualify as a book hoarder. One of the greatest joys of parenting my own children was that I got to share my love of books — and my actual books — with them from the time they were infants. Sitting in a rocking chair with a baby or toddler in my arms, reading picture books to them, is a memory I deeply cherish. It only got better as they got older, when we took turns reading to them, and then they took turns reading to us. Oh, how we loved The Cat in the Hat, fairy tales, anything by Eric Carle! Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Richard Scarry, Little Golden Books, we sailed through them all. Continue reading →

Morning Calm
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Morning Calm

I woke up this morning at dawn, in the tiny but cozy guest room of an old-fashioned lakeside cottage. The window, barely a foot from the four-poster bed which filled most of the room, looked out over a small lake which was so calm, it reflected the rosy sky like a smooth mirror. A slight mist rose off the water but all was silent. I lay back against the pillows and just gazed out at the water before picking up my book. What a joy, to have hours of uninterrupted reading time before breakfast, in such a lovely place. I love these simple cottages: uninsulated, plain wooden walls, simple sleeping porches, kitchens no bigger than the small galley kitchen in my first city apartment. Old, faded, soft furniture. Simplicity now!

What Went Well
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What Went Well

Every Wednesday, I reflect on the week just past and think about three things that went well. It is a positive psychology exercise known as “What Went Well” or “Three Blessings.” What Went Well Wednesdays.

This week’s blessings:

  1. I went on vacation with two of my three teenagers and we are having a wonderful mother/daughter week. Because they are kind, funny, bright young women who are great company.
  2. We are visiting my in-laws in a beautiful part of the country. Because I love them, they are aging gracefully and they always show their appreciation that I am part of their family and the mother of three beloved grandchildren.
  3. The weather here is a refreshing change from home, where temperatures approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday. Because here, the highs are in the mid-80s and upper 70s, and the fresh New England air smells wonderfully of pines and lakes.
Why Serenity Now?
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Why Serenity Now?

Today’s assignment: names and taglines. I named this blog “Serenity Now” in honor of George Costanza’s father Frank. If you ever watched “Seinfeld”, you know who I mean: the perpetually irritated, snarky dad played by the brilliant Jerry Stiller. In one episode, he is told that he has to bring his high blood pressure and anger under control; when he feels himself becoming enraged, he should say the phrase “Serenity now.” Except that Frank screams the phrase at the people who irritate him, which doesn’t calm anyone down, least of all him. As one character says “Serenity now, insanity later.”

I loved that episode because it made me laugh. But at the same time, there are days when I feel like Frank in spite of my normally calm demeanor. The world seems irrational and crazy and it’s not cooperating with my plans or appreciating my contributions. I need to remember how much of my life is going well and how fortunate I am. I need to be more mindful of the many things and people I love. I need to keep calm and carry on. Serenity now!

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Who I Am and Why I’m Here

I need more serenity and mindfulness in my life and I think others do too. I am blessed in many ways but I am also pulled in many directions: family, home, work, creative urges. I am introverted and find it easiest to communicate in writing, which gives me time to choose my words precisely and express exactly what I want to say, so blogging appeals to that side of me. I am also intensely curious and interested in the world around me, including other people. I love new ideas and new information, so I enjoy reading what others write.

I am a lover of beauty, a happily married introvert, an empath and INTJ. I have an inquiring mind and thousands of books. Many things make me happy. I’d like to share some of them. Because thinking and writing about lovely things brings more serenity into my life.

I also blog about gardens, gardening, garden books, art in gardens and garden photography at Old Herbaceous.

The Water Babies
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The Water Babies

I need a copy of this book. A photographer/artist named Zena Holloway has retold and illustrated Charles Kingsley’s Victorian fairy tale, The Water Babies, with the most enchanting photographic images of children and other beings under water: Zena Holloway’s The Water Babies. Lovely! I grew up on Jessie Wilcox Smith’s illustrations, but these are magical.

You can see many of the book’s pages here: The Water Babies.

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What Went Well This Week

This is my first post in a new feature here on “Serenity Now”: What Went Well Wednesdays. It is based on a positive psychology exercise also known as “Three Blessings.” You’re supposed to set aside a short time every night and write down three things that went well that day. They can be major or minor. Then you write down why they went well. One example goes something like this: “My husband brought me ice cream after work. Because (he loves me and he remembered how much I enjoy ice cream; or, I remembered to call him and ask him to stop at the store).” Ideally, one does it nightly. I may try that, but in this blog, it will appear once a week. So here goes!

What went well this week:

1. My family took turns making wonderful meals for everyone. Because I can’t cook right now and they are enthusiastic about learning to cook (and proud of their results!).

2. Our air-conditioning system was easily repaired after a weekend breakdown and the repair was minor and inexpensive. Because the repairman was competent, honest and professional.

3. A dear friend came by for a drop-in visit. Because she had been out of town and knew I had missed her company.

There! I feel great. I hope you’ll try this exercise!

Seared_Salmon

Photo: Blue Apron.

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Reblogged: Digital Devices and Learning to Grow Up

Very insightful post from The Frailest Thing:

Digital Devices and Learning to Grow Up

“Yes, digital devices have given us the power to decide who is worthy of our attention minute by minute. Advocates of this constant connectivity–many of them, like Facebook, acting out of obvious self-interest–want us to believe this is an unmitigated good and that we should exercise this power with impunity. But–how to say this without sounding alarmist–encouraging people to habitually render other human beings unworthy of their attention seems like a poor way to build a just and equitable society.”

What Went Well Wednesdays
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What Went Well Wednesdays

I’ve been reading about the science of flourishing, much of which is based on work done in the field of “positive psychology.” The general idea is to focus on our strengths and build on them, rather than dwelling on our flaws and vulnerabilities.

One fruitful exercise is called “Three Blessings”, or “What Went Well.” Here’s how it goes:

“Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well. You may use a journal or your computer to write about the events, but it is important that you have a physical record of what you wrote. The three things need not be earthshaking in importance (‘My husband picked up my favorite ice cream for dessert on the way home from work today’), but they can be important (‘My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy’). Next to each positive event, answer the question ‘Why did this happen?’ For example, if you wrote that your husband picked up ice cream, write ‘because my husband is really thoughtful sometimes’ or ‘because I remembered to call him from work and remind him to stop by the grocery store.’”

Three Blessings

If you do this regularly, it is supposed to reduce depression and anxiety — and remind you to feel thankful, another key to happiness. So I’m going to try to do this on my blog, at least weekly, on “What Went Well Wednesdays.” Serenity now!

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Wensleydale

I’ve “challenged” myself to write about a “travel trinket” and associated memories. Here are my trinkets:

Piers Browne Books

Actually, only two belong to me: the top book, Wensleydale, and the third one down, Glorious Trees of Great Britain. They were written and illustrated by a Yorkshire-based artist named Piers Browne. My parents and I discovered him decades ago, when I was a twenty-something, tagging along with them on a trip to visit my mother’s family in England. I had been working at a very demanding job and they were worried about my stress levels, so they invited me to join them in Yorkshire, where my mother’s cousins lived. We stayed at a B&B run by the local pub, which meant that my parents stayed in one village home while I stayed in another, and we met up for breakfast at the pub. The home where I stayed had dozens of gorgeous limited edition etchings done by one Piers Browne. When my mother and I were admiring them, my hostess said that he lived nearby, that he sold his etchings out of his artist’s studio sometimes and that he didn’t mind visitors. So off we went, my middle-aged parents and I, to seek him out.

We drove through the beautiful rural Yorkshire Dales that are the subject of so many of his artworks, winding our way through remote lanes and up moors, until we reached his studio. And yes, he was there, and no, he didn’t mind visitors. We pored over his etchings and came away with a few, including one that my parents bought for me as a gift.

Fast forward twenty-five years. Continue reading →