Funny where our society reveals itself. That too full shopping cart at the checkout line. The estate sale that had rooms and rooms of Christmas decorations and needlecraft kits that were never opened!?! And 5 or 6 of many tools in the garage and kitchen. Many still in their original boxes! Yes, it could be a couple who both had dementia, but it looked to me like people comforting their anxieties with shopping. Like the grand parents who compete with new stuffed animals for their grandbabies. Making sure that the kid gets as anxious as they are, as soon as possible.
Calmness can be very disquieting to anxious people. It reveals how loud their inside is, with no way to tone it down. Or at least, no way that they have discovered. Like children who have grown up around nightly gunfire and sirens on the streets, it is what they are used to, and thus silence is now menacing. They say it takes 27 days to change most unwanted behaviors. Without knowing this, any less faithful attempt only convinces one that they are hopelessly caught in the rat race. But most of us can learn to calm the storm we unwittingly stir-up. It just takes a plan and sticking to it for a month or so. 🙂
You make some really great points. I think it's really easy to fall into the trap of thinking that having more stuff will make us happier or ease our worries but often the converse is true.
Thanks so much for this post today, Louise. I needed to hear it. I woke up in one of those worrying, discontented moods and these words shifted my outlook in a much better direction! Hope you’re feeling better ♥️
Oh I love this quote! Everything has felt so manic recently - I think you're right that Black Friday just adds to it all. I didn't even open most of the emails this year, it was too overwhelming! Hope you're feeling much better today, and that you can find many moments of calm.
Hope you’re feeling better today, Louise. Thank you for this post, the person you’re talking about sounds a wonderfully inspirational example for us all. As you know I’m a huge advocate for calm and I think it can get better misunderstood as being placid, boring, unemotional and I love that line of Matt Haig’s because it sums up beautifully how powerful calm is x
I am working at a LYS that is moving. At the end of this year, I will stop working and dive into my stash and knit away. I get commissions here and there so that is fun. I plan to stay home much more because house needs cleaning, furniture needs painting, loom needs to be warped. We no longer do xmas gifts just because if I want something I am at a place where I can say neigh or yeah! We will have nice food to nibble on, DVDs to watch, dogs that need play time. The fact is, not a lot of people have funds this year, and I think simple gift giving, trading of food, or crafts is so much more memorable.
All of the European countries/cultures are far older and more established than here in the US!! My take is that we are selfish boisterous and the “teenagers’”. Our country was built sadly on the idea of white supremacy and we advertise and encourage sports culture beer and mass consumption!!! Not much I’d choose to be wildly proud of or want to participate in but I look around my home and I see o er the years I too have fallen prey to buying things I do not need or worse just purchasing something because I want it and in some cases never ever use it!! Too sad and one of the things that made “Swedish Death Cleaning so very attractive to me!!! 2024 is going to bring huge changes to my life and shopping habits!!
Funny where our society reveals itself. That too full shopping cart at the checkout line. The estate sale that had rooms and rooms of Christmas decorations and needlecraft kits that were never opened!?! And 5 or 6 of many tools in the garage and kitchen. Many still in their original boxes! Yes, it could be a couple who both had dementia, but it looked to me like people comforting their anxieties with shopping. Like the grand parents who compete with new stuffed animals for their grandbabies. Making sure that the kid gets as anxious as they are, as soon as possible.
Calmness can be very disquieting to anxious people. It reveals how loud their inside is, with no way to tone it down. Or at least, no way that they have discovered. Like children who have grown up around nightly gunfire and sirens on the streets, it is what they are used to, and thus silence is now menacing. They say it takes 27 days to change most unwanted behaviors. Without knowing this, any less faithful attempt only convinces one that they are hopelessly caught in the rat race. But most of us can learn to calm the storm we unwittingly stir-up. It just takes a plan and sticking to it for a month or so. 🙂
You make some really great points. I think it's really easy to fall into the trap of thinking that having more stuff will make us happier or ease our worries but often the converse is true.
I very much enjoy Matt Haig’s work as well, and I’m also very glad I found this post today - thank you!
Oh, that's fabulous. I'm so pleased you enjoyed it.
Thanks so much for this post today, Louise. I needed to hear it. I woke up in one of those worrying, discontented moods and these words shifted my outlook in a much better direction! Hope you’re feeling better ♥️
Oh, I'm so pleased it helped
I think we all have days like that from time to time 🩷
Oh I love this quote! Everything has felt so manic recently - I think you're right that Black Friday just adds to it all. I didn't even open most of the emails this year, it was too overwhelming! Hope you're feeling much better today, and that you can find many moments of calm.
Thank you. Yes, much better now. And ready to face a (hopefully) calmer week
Hope you’re feeling better today, Louise. Thank you for this post, the person you’re talking about sounds a wonderfully inspirational example for us all. As you know I’m a huge advocate for calm and I think it can get better misunderstood as being placid, boring, unemotional and I love that line of Matt Haig’s because it sums up beautifully how powerful calm is x
I am working at a LYS that is moving. At the end of this year, I will stop working and dive into my stash and knit away. I get commissions here and there so that is fun. I plan to stay home much more because house needs cleaning, furniture needs painting, loom needs to be warped. We no longer do xmas gifts just because if I want something I am at a place where I can say neigh or yeah! We will have nice food to nibble on, DVDs to watch, dogs that need play time. The fact is, not a lot of people have funds this year, and I think simple gift giving, trading of food, or crafts is so much more memorable.
All of the European countries/cultures are far older and more established than here in the US!! My take is that we are selfish boisterous and the “teenagers’”. Our country was built sadly on the idea of white supremacy and we advertise and encourage sports culture beer and mass consumption!!! Not much I’d choose to be wildly proud of or want to participate in but I look around my home and I see o er the years I too have fallen prey to buying things I do not need or worse just purchasing something because I want it and in some cases never ever use it!! Too sad and one of the things that made “Swedish Death Cleaning so very attractive to me!!! 2024 is going to bring huge changes to my life and shopping habits!!