lovely
"Tending the things around us and becoming sensitive to the importance of home, daily schedule, and maybe even the clothes we wear, are ways of caring for the soul. When Marsilio Ficino wrote his self-help book, The Book of Life, five hundred years ago, he placed emphasis on carefully choosing colors, spices, oils, places to walk, countries to visit - all very concrete decisions of everyday life that day by day either support or disturb the soul.
[The goal of caring for the soul] is not to make life problem-free, but to give ordinary life the depth and value that come with soulfulness."
- Thomas Moore, The Care of the Soul
maybe this helps explain how i feel about being a nester, homebody, and homemaker. some don't care about decisions around the house - it's just a place you stay - but i've always felt there's a certain amount of gravitas involved in what you choose for yourself and how you arrange it.
i got great pleasure choosing new towels last evening. of the three towels i own, two have been in service since i worked at beachmart (1998ish, love them and have used them to pieces) and the third was bought in barcelona (2001, hate it and never use it). they are faded, bleach spotted, and unraveling. in my care of dharma, i need enough soft cloths to get me through several days, as i don't have a washing machine in my home and cannot go to the laundromat every day. i realized this was a prime opportunity to relegate my old towels to the scrap bin, thus freeing them for her use, and get new ones for myself. i spent the better part of 40 minutes touching, stroking, folding and refolding the various options at the store last night. these new towels i will wrap myself in every day; they will affect my senses and "support" my soul. so i was deliberate in their choosing. i finally settled on four lovely, large bath sheets in unbleached, undyed cotton, with natural linen trim. i took them to A's to be washed, and i look forward to starting my day with them, as measured and purposefully as possible.
[The goal of caring for the soul] is not to make life problem-free, but to give ordinary life the depth and value that come with soulfulness."
- Thomas Moore, The Care of the Soul
maybe this helps explain how i feel about being a nester, homebody, and homemaker. some don't care about decisions around the house - it's just a place you stay - but i've always felt there's a certain amount of gravitas involved in what you choose for yourself and how you arrange it.
i got great pleasure choosing new towels last evening. of the three towels i own, two have been in service since i worked at beachmart (1998ish, love them and have used them to pieces) and the third was bought in barcelona (2001, hate it and never use it). they are faded, bleach spotted, and unraveling. in my care of dharma, i need enough soft cloths to get me through several days, as i don't have a washing machine in my home and cannot go to the laundromat every day. i realized this was a prime opportunity to relegate my old towels to the scrap bin, thus freeing them for her use, and get new ones for myself. i spent the better part of 40 minutes touching, stroking, folding and refolding the various options at the store last night. these new towels i will wrap myself in every day; they will affect my senses and "support" my soul. so i was deliberate in their choosing. i finally settled on four lovely, large bath sheets in unbleached, undyed cotton, with natural linen trim. i took them to A's to be washed, and i look forward to starting my day with them, as measured and purposefully as possible.