down to earth

Recently my sister Kathleen sent me a magazine article called Grin and Tonic. I don't know what magazine it's from, there was a time when I knew every popular magazine by their page style, now I'm happy that I don't know. Anyhow, it's a very interesting view on happiness. In part it reads:
"While not exactly simple, some of their findings suggest there may indeed be a science to happiness - even a recipe. (And if your own idea of happiness is a flat-screen TV or a pair of Jimmy Choo heels then cover your eyes because the truth is, well, not very glamorous.)
...
When University of Wisconsin researcher Dr Richard Davidson hooked up a Tibetan monk to an MRI and asked him to meditate on, of all things, compassion, he got the most surprising result of all.
"There as a dramatic increase in activity in the areas of the brain associated with happiness. There is an inextricable link between personal happiness and kindness."

Well, well, well. Fancy that. So all those times our mothers and grandmothers told us to be kind to others they were really showing us the way to personal happiness.

The article goes on to state that in another study they found that five random acts of kindness a week for six weeks "produced a dramatic increase in the subjects' levels of happiness".

This is one thing I know to be true. I know that being kind to others makes me happy. And it's more than the feeling I get when I am thanked for a kindness, it's more than the smile that sets on my face when I see the delight of someone who has been surprised by kindness, it's more than that, much more. This kind of happiness is within, it's more permanent than a fleeting smile, this kind of happiness stays with you, it can be built upon.

Before I changed my life I was kind to others but never went out of my way to be. Now that it's a more conscious action I make sure I'm kind whenever the opportunity arises and I have deliberately chosen to spend some of my time where I will be in a position to help others. It has made such a difference. It has shown me that my own life truly is blessed, that giving is much better than receiving, that my soul is enriched by people I would otherwise not have met and that my life is better by doing this simple thing.

There is a knack to kindness - it should be quiet and matter-of-fact. Grand acts of kindness, done only for the thanks or what will come from it, are quite the opposite of what I'm writing about. This kindness is often carried out with no thanks or expectations of it. And I'm not talking about making yourself a doormat either. This kindness will make you stronger. Doormat kindness is loud and obvious and done to make yourself popular or to look good. I think real kindness is like a whisper, only you and the recipient know.

I have never been happier than I am now and I owe that to the kind of life I live. I have deliberately made the choices that give me this kind of life and I repeat those deliberate choices almost every day. I knew long before I lived this way that kindness, generosity and sharing would be a big part of my life but until I started living it, I didn't know how happy I would be made by those simple choices.

If you feel that your life is out of control and you're not sure how to steady it, think about what I've written here. You can change at any point by making small, deliberate choices in your every day life. Kindness is easy and simple but the rewards that come from the quiet execution of it are far more complex than I can fathom. All I know is that I have been changed by giving and if you can change one person's life by an act of kindness, then you will start to change your own life too.

I'm really excited about today. Today is the day the new Centre opens its doors to the public for the first time. Today will be a day to remember.

My two days off went by quickly and although I tried to slow down, I hurried through my weekend chores so I'd be ready for today. I don't like hurrying because I fail to appreciate what I'm doing or why I'm doing it, but at least I got through it all and now I'm prepared for the week ahead. Yesterday, while Hanno worked in the vegetable garden, I swept, did some cleaning, ironing, cooking, tended to the emerging seedlings, finished off my article for Warm Earth magazine and started casting off the cowl scarf I started a couple of weeks ago. It feels good to finish off projects and although the article and cowl finished on that hurried day, I have taken my time with them and am happy with both.

One of the housekeeping tasks I did yesterday was an important one for me, I made soap - enough for the next few months. Some soaps turn out better than others and this one is excellent. It's creamy and smooth and I know it will cure well. I used the same recipe as that in the soap making tutorial (in the side bar) but I didn't have enough rice bran oil so I made up the quantity with a very nice Australian olive oil. It made up 12 large bars of soap and despite giving some to my boys, there will be enough for Hanno and I for a few months.

At 1pm, Hanno came in for lunch and I sat with my knitting to watch the first cricket final. India won! Pfffffffft. As I sat there knitting away and watching the cricket I formulated a plan for my birthday. I will be 60 next month and I want to mark the occasion in a way that suits how we live. There will be about 10 people here and I want to have a lunch in the back yard under the shade of the fig and pecan trees. I'll serve vegetable soup with tiny herb dumplings, hot home-baked bread with homemade butter and salad with sprouts, garden greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, boiled eggs and local Maleny cheese. Dessert will be a brandy and coffee cake with local cream. I think that at least 50 percent of the lunch will be produced in our back yard, about 25 percent from the local area and 25 percent from sources further afield. I'm looking forward to being 60, as it will start a new phase of my life, and to celebrate the day with my family and a few close friends will make it really special and something I'll remember for a long time.

And now I must have breakfast and get ready for this day. This is one to remember too. Thank you for stopping by today, thanks for Sharon and Lorraine for organising these incredible swaps and thanks to all the ladies who sent in photos of the wonderful tea cosies.

These are the three oils I used yesterday for my soap.

My trusty soap mixer.

And the end product. I'll have to tidy up the bars of soap when they cure a little. I needed to get them cut before I watched the cricket.

I am really pleased to see so many readers joining the tote bag swap. It's a way of connecting with others in this wonderful blog community and of having a bit of fun getting to know your swap partner. The end result of developing sewing skills, and then using your handmade tote bag, is the icing on the cake. If you have been too shy to join, or you're unsure of your sewing skills, give it a go. If you have any problems, just post a question in the comments and I'm sure there will be many of us who will help you through.

The move went smoothly and almost everything is packed away again. I worked yesterday and felt really satisfied and happy that the house is beginning to feel like a real home. We made plans for the garden and a new car park, I hooked up the computers again, the phones are working, the internet will be connected next week and on Monday, our opening day, we'll have a sausage sizzle with the Flexischool kids so we can all celebrate our move.

Yesterday we had our first unexpected visitors for morning tea - the local member of parliament and the shire councillor. We had the plans for our new building (to be built next year) laid out on the kitchen table around the muffins someone brought in and cups of tea and coffee, and I had a little smile when I thought that this gentle way of planning with hot tea and a feeling of goodwill, is how all planning should be done. This real connection with people over shared ideals and hopes for the future is powerful, and it gets results. There is a good feeling in that house and we'll all smiling like Cheshire cats.

But back to reality, where today I have a lot of work to catch up on. I want to watch the Cricket semi final tomorrow and I need to do all my work today so I can go back to work on Monday knowing I'm up to date at home.

It's a mixture of gardening, laundry, baking, cleaning and tidying up today. I removed the tomatoes from the aquaponics garden on Thursday and have them all clumped together in one soil pot. They'll all be repotted and I'll take photos of the work so I can write about potting tomatoes next week. I'll check on the seedlings while I'm out there and give them a feed of seaweed to strengthen them before they're planted out. It's great to have summer out of the way and to move into Autumn, my favourite time of year. I just took the dogs outside to be fed and there is a real nip in the air this morning, it might be time to move my jumpers and cardigans up in my closet drawers. Everything seems possible to me in Autumn, it always feels like a time of fresh new beginnings. I wonder if it's because I was born in Autumn.

We have a tray of kale to be planted out, along with some squash, cucumbers and a few sugarloaf cabbages. In that blue container are the tomatoes that where submerged in rainwater last week. They seem to be fine now. I'll put them out in the sun today to allow the soil to warm up and help the seeds germinate and grow.

When Hanno cut the avocado branch off the other day we found these elkhorn ferns up high in the tree top. I brought them home instead of having them carted off to the rubbish dump. In the photo above you can see the gnarled branch of that old avocado tree where these ferns and lichen had been growing for who knows how long. I've leave them on the branch to grow in the bush house.

If you're in Australia or New Zealand, I hope you're enjoying your weekend. For those of you further away, I hope you have plans for a relaxed weekend with your loved ones. Thank you for dropping by and sharing this big week with me. It will be Spring for some soon and Autumn for others, let's all move into our new seasons with the hope of good times ahead.