Category: Declutter Me: Ambitioning a Quiet Life

From the Blog

anxiety

In Tears and Tangles: Remember your Anchor Points

It was the final question I put to the Wise Man before he retired. What do I do if/when anxiety comes back? How do I know I can cope? What if? That same question I always walked in holding in my tight fist, was the same question that sat perched with me on the edge of the couch in that last conversation.

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Declutter Me: Ambitioning a Quiet Life

Dear Fellow Fragile Earth-Dweller

If you and I, dear friend, stranger, fellow-fragile-earth dweller, were meeting for coffee (although for me, it would be tea, always tea, with milk, and strong), I’d probably start off a little nervous. We’d sit down and make small talk, which has this way of always making me feel a bit small. I might laugh a little too exuberant, or overcompensate irrelevancies. I’d stir the tea leaves, rather than meet your eyes.

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Declutter Me: Ambitioning a Quiet Life

Surprised by Ordinary Contentment

Sometimes contentment looks less like a mountaineer’s milestone,Or an earmarked achievement dressed up in your best new clothes,The end result of all the things you thought you ever wanted….And more like a secondhand curbside-found round tableAnd a last-minute late lunch on a cloudy Sydney wintry afternoon

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Declutter Me: Ambitioning a Quiet Life

When Jesus says it’s time to sit still (and step out of the Kitchen)

I’ve always thought of myself as more of a Mary than a Martha. You may be familiar with the biblical story. Jesus comes to visit a couple of M named sisters. Martha plays the dutiful host behind the scenes, buries herself in the kitchen, taking care of stuff. Sure, there are no scan pans, or stainless steel appliances, no on-trend meal plans, but you can see it vivid as day, the woman with her hands furious busy and her head bent down over the meal prep. Maybe she can already feel the muscular tension creeping in, circling its way around the fibres of her neck, even as she hears their voices soft in the background: because when someone walks into your house —when the Lord walks in —you need to pull out some stops.

Read More
anxiety

In Tears and Tangles: Remember your Anchor Points

It was the final question I put to the Wise Man before he retired. What do I do if/when anxiety comes back? How do I know I can cope? What if? That same question I always walked in holding in my tight fist, was the same question that sat perched with me on the edge of the couch in that last conversation.

Read More
Declutter Me: Ambitioning a Quiet Life

Dear Fellow Fragile Earth-Dweller

If you and I, dear friend, stranger, fellow-fragile-earth dweller, were meeting for coffee (although for me, it would be tea, always tea, with milk, and strong), I’d probably start off a little nervous. We’d sit down and make small talk, which has this way of always making me feel a bit small. I might laugh a little too exuberant, or overcompensate irrelevancies. I’d stir the tea leaves, rather than meet your eyes.

Read More
Declutter Me: Ambitioning a Quiet Life

Surprised by Ordinary Contentment

Sometimes contentment looks less like a mountaineer’s milestone,Or an earmarked achievement dressed up in your best new clothes,The end result of all the things you thought you ever wanted….And more like a secondhand curbside-found round tableAnd a last-minute late lunch on a cloudy Sydney wintry afternoon

Read More
Declutter Me: Ambitioning a Quiet Life

When Jesus says it’s time to sit still (and step out of the Kitchen)

I’ve always thought of myself as more of a Mary than a Martha. You may be familiar with the biblical story. Jesus comes to visit a couple of M named sisters. Martha plays the dutiful host behind the scenes, buries herself in the kitchen, taking care of stuff. Sure, there are no scan pans, or stainless steel appliances, no on-trend meal plans, but you can see it vivid as day, the woman with her hands furious busy and her head bent down over the meal prep. Maybe she can already feel the muscular tension creeping in, circling its way around the fibres of her neck, even as she hears their voices soft in the background: because when someone walks into your house —when the Lord walks in —you need to pull out some stops.

Read More