This is my new friend Rachel.
I think Rachel may have entered my giveaway on a lark, having recently heard about me in one of those six-degrees-of-separation ways. And I'm oh so glad she did, since it turns out she's a kindred spirit. Rachel lives here in Minneapolis with her husband Jeremy and two sons, Jesse and Dylan. She and her husband both run their own businesses, and Jeremy also leads the Sweet Colleens (which may sound familiar, as I reviewed their children's cd here, in addition to making my whole family sing the Road Trip song when we started our Black Hills road trip last month). Here's what Rachel has to say about the roots of her blog:
Il bel far niente means the beauty of doing nothing.
In Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert says that even against that backdrop of hard work, il bel far niente has always been a cherished Italian ideal. The beauty of doing nothing is the goal of all your work, the final accomplishment for which you are most highly congratulated. The more exquisitely and delightfully you can do nothing, the higher your life’s achievement. You don’t necessarily need to be rich in order to experience this, either. There’s another wonderful Italian expression: l’arte d’arrangiarsi –the art of making something out of nothing. The art of turning a few simple ingredients into a feast, or a few gathered friends into a festival. Anyone with a talent for happiness can do this, not only the rich.
After many years of doing plenty but feeling disconnected from my life, I am now in pursuit of truly being here. The immeasurable gift of doing nothing is that we have the opportunity to sit quietly and expectantly as our authentic selves are revealed to us.
As a mom and a friend and a sister and a wife and a business owner, I'm of course still billing hours, managing projects, cleaning a house, and filling out paperwork. But what is most true about me?
I am a woman who plays, prays, creates, celebrates, inspires, laughs, gives and receives love. My riches come from seeing beauty in the people who surround me and from expressing gratitude for the life I've been given.This blog is therefore dedicated to my pursuit of exquisitely and delightfully doing nothing. (And preferably in a hammock.)
Simply put, this resonates with me. Lately I've been giving some thought to my creative manifesto. Last year, I worked hard at embracing change, and this year it is coming easier and with more freedom & pleasure. I like to take a step back every now and then, take stock of where I'm at and where I'm going. I'm not comfortable with doing nothing, though it sure sounds great when Rachel says it. Wait a minute! This blog post is supposed to be about Rachel.
Spontaneous or structured? I naturally lean toward the structured. But I have acquired the ability to be spontaneous! My husband started the ball rolling down that hill when we married 20 years ago. He inspired us to leave "regular life" at the ages of 22 and 23, get on a sailboat (with nearly no boating experience) and head south to the Bahamas for the winter. So this girl, who had spent her whole childhood sitting in front of a fire reading a book, did this unimaginably spontaneous and risky thing. I discovered things about myself I never expected. I actively cultivate this part of my personality.
Sweet or salty? Salt. My whole family (parents, brothers, sister) would never dream of having a potluck without chips. Even on Thanksgiving we planned for chips and salsa. It's a bit odd, but we all totally get it. It's all about the salt and savory for us.
Morning or evening? Tea or coffee? I have a blog post that talks about why I love my morning coffee.
Thank you to Amelia, Gisele, Chel, Melissa, and Rachel for sharing a bit of yourselves with my readers this week. A week of posts I'll go back to again and again. I now have new books on my list, podcasts to listen to, washi tape to buy, a coffee date next week, and the okay to go ahead & ponder.
Marta has a lettergirl giveaway on her blog today (but hurry, it ends tonight).
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