An ode to slow mornings
It has been quite a summer, and I haven't been able to update the blog. And, to some extent it (again) seems that many of my household chores are unfinished. There is still a heap of birches waiting to be cut and chopped to firewood. At some point I was hoping to get a shelter-building project completed in April - that is still waiting in a half-finished stage. Not to mention all the other projects I have planned to start only when these other projects are finished. Well, I'm not going to analyze all the reasons why I've again mismanaged my own timetables =) Instead I'll write a few lines about coping with this kind of potentially unpleasant situation. As, no matter how many unfinished projects there are waiting to be done, I always try to keep my mornings slow and unhurried.
Today after waking up I started a small campfire to cook coffee and oat porridge. When the coffee was ready I left the kettle of porridge slowly simmering near the fire. I chose to drink the coffee in the hammock under the oak. A few little birds were chirping, otherwise the morning was rather silent. I allowed the same silence into my mind - not thinking about all the projects, not worrying about money and stuff, but just listening to the birds, paying attention to the warm gentle touch of the sunrays, breathing slowly and feeling the flow of air in my lungs. When I was finished with the coffee I fetched the ketlle and sat down next to the house. I added freshly picked blueberries into the porridge. As I was eating the porridge I thought to myself that this is the kind of a life I've always wanted to live. Enjoying unhurried mornings with a lot of fresh air and a breakfast cooked on fire. This is the peace and tranquility I wish to carry with me during the day. For today I'll do only what I can do today, and more will get done the other day.
Comments
It's so lovely to take a moment to appreciate the gorgeousness of small things. Thank you Erkka.
Clementine
Thank You, Clementine!
I don't know but I have a hunch that The Tao is in all the small things. Just hiding in front of our eyes, each and evevery day =)
An ode and toast to the "unfinished": a synonyme to life itself, and a bridge of similarities between us all. In the end of the road that's all we will have, "unfinished" dreams, projects and stories - and you know what, I am happy it is this way, because I can't stand when I finish a good book and I can't read it anymore, I can't stand to read a finished story again, I don't like ends, I would not stand a finished life story, I prefer that everything is in a state of unfinished, a book waiting to be written - a toast to the "unfinished" :)
That is my positve side talking. But in truth I know that that is not what you really meant, it is about the daily life and fights with time, daily tasks, organizing life and our inner will to survive. My real self struggles with that word too more than I would lile to admit ("you dind't finished that project, that book, that work, that idea, that study etc." "you should be more this or that by this time in your life", "shame on you etc.") - bah, to hell with the finished, today I want to toast to the unfinished, because that is the reason we are all gathered in here today: if we had not unfinished evolutions, unfinished stories to tell, unfinished adventures to live, unfinished things to learn, our souls would no be here right now in this moment living this unfinished story called life, a growing soul travelling trought the universe space and time - a toast to the now and to us :)
Sorry for the exaggerated and dramatic writting, it sounded fun to do :) Was nice to read a new blog post from you and to know you are doing ok and enjoying your slow mornings and life, I love them too, I am a slow mornigns person :) Your blog post made me remember of my favourite poet of all time, Fernando Pessoa, mainly this poem of his that reads:
«Segue o teu destino,
Rega as tuas plantas,
Ama as tuas rosas.
O resto é a sombra
De árvores alheias.
A realidade
Sempre é mais ou menos
Do que nos queremos.
Só nós somos sempre
Iguais a nós-proprios.
Suave é viver só.
Grande e nobre é sempre
Viver simplesmente.
Deixa a dor nas aras
Como ex-voto aos deuses.
Vê de longe a vida.
Nunca a interrogues.
Ela nada pode
Dizer-te. A resposta
Está além dos deuses.
Mas serenamente
Imita o Olimpo
No teu coração.
Os deuses são deuses
Porque não se pensam.»
Rough translation (to sleepy and tired, 00:57, sorry for any mispelling and bad english):
«Follow your destiny,
Water your plants,
Love your roses.
The rest is the shadow
From oblivious trees.
Reality
Is always more or less
Made from what we want.
Only we can always always be
What in reality ourselfs are.
Soft is to live alone.
Great and noble is always
To live simply.
Let the pain in the altar
As an ex-vow to the gods.
See life from afar.
Never interrogate her.
She nothing can
Tell ya. The answer
Is far beyond the gods.
But serenely
Imitate Olympus
In your heart.
The gods are gods
Because they don't think about themselfs»
[not very good translation in this last verse: it is an unusual verb play in a sentence not used in english, hard to translate: something like "to be thinked about by yourself"]
A toast to slow mornings and long nights, going to sleep now - a toast to your Blog and an happy day U+1F942
Bravo! Great writing, a good poem and an inspiring translation, thanks for posting.
And so glad to hear from you. Indeed - a toast to the "unfinished" :) Somehow it feels meaningful to see how you long-time readers are still following. That is nice, and hoping all the best for you!
So glad to see another post. You're doing well, and that's great to hear.
Thanks! And there will be more blog post to come, I promise.
Dear Erkka. It gave me peace reading your blog. Thanks for that. Always. You are amazing.
Peace. I think that when I was myself about the same age as Greta Thunberg is now, I had vague dreams that I'd like to be able to somehow persoanlly contribute towards Peace. Peace on Earth, end to the cold war, end to all hostilities, end to all and domestic violence. But having an impact of the whole world history seemed like an absurd task to dream about. So I decided to settle for a more humble task; to find peace for myself, and to try to live in peace with people around me, to strengthen and to cherish the shared sense of peace.
So, I'm glad to hear if any of my blog posts has this effect =)
Thank you for this post. The picture with the hammock looks like freedom and cosiness. And the campfire reminded me of, that I should enjoy my fathers garden more often and cook a soup and roast some bread on the campfire - it really is a privilege I took for granted for far too long.
Great! An ode to roasting bread on the campfire =)
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