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Silence + Christmas

~ Rachel King ~ Leave a comment

Silence and Christmas seem like mutually exclusive words in this stressed out, rushing, overloaded consumer culture in which we dwell.

Silence is not given much of a platform in our society.

It makes us uncomfortable.

It makes us restless.

It feels like it lacks purpose. Meaning.

But maybe the secret to noticing moments of meaning lies in the silent spaces. Maybe if we are silent long enough, we’ll give our true selves time and space to begin to emerge.

There’s truth to the phrase “pregnant pause”. Lifes’ pauses, or silences, can be pregnant with meaning if we are still long enough to hear them.

I love love love this quote from Irish poet Michael Longley, interviewed on the podcast OnBeing:

“If you don’t have anything to say, say nothing. Silence is part of the enterprise.” ~ Michael Longley

I’ve written less on here lately, for a number of reasons. One small part of the reason is that often the internet just feels like shouting to me.

And I don’t want to join in with more meaningless noise.

I want there to be a reason for saying what I say.

And so sometimes saying nothing is as good as saying something.

Silence

It’s a busy time of year to be contemplating silence, I know.

But what better time to force ourselves to carve out moments of space amidst the noisy, chaotic lives that we create for ourselves.

I can tell you that it’s possible, and your body and soul will thank you for it.

Wishing you all moments of silence this Christmas time,

Rachel xx

How to identify life’s most important ingredients

~ Rachel King ~ Leave a comment

You know the saying, “Live like it’s your last day on earth”? It’s meant to provide a framework for reflecting on what’s important, and how to fill your days.

If we took it literally, none of us would do any chores. We’d eat the unhealthiest food in the world. And want to spend every minute doing the things we love, with the ones we love. It’s a nice sentiment, but more than a little unrealistic.

So how do we distill our lives down to what’s most important? It’s something I reflect on often, as I continue this journey of learning to live a life that is intentional, edited down to what is truly essential, meaningful and serves a purpose.

Well what if we asked ourselves the question, “what would you do with your last 5 years on earth?”. No, it doesn’t have the same ring, but it’s a far better yard stick to get us thinking about what is truly important to us.

If you did have 5 years left, how would you use your time then? How much of it would you fritter on social media? How much of it shopping for things you don’t need? How much of it scrolling? Watching mindless, pointless youtube clips?

Truth is, none of us know if we’ve got 5 years left or 50. Better to assume the former and use it well.

I’d rather spend more time with people I love and less time scrolling through updates of those I barely know.

More time smelling the roses and less time buying new things to put them in.

More time reading good literature and less time reading articles full of empty statements and lack of substance.

More time breathing the fresh air and less time staring at a screen.

More time living and less time living vicariously through the virtual reality of social media.

More time enjoying what I have, and less time accumulating more.

Let’s live like it’s our last 5 years on earth. And see where that takes us…

How we miss the best of life in our desperation to capture it

~ Rachel King ~ Leave a comment

Photos, photos, photos. In this digital age of iEverything, most of us are drowning in them.

I’ve worked as a professional photographer – photographing weddings, interiors, families and children. Because I carry a camera around for my job, I tend to prefer not to use it on social occasions, or when I’m with my kids, as it just feels like work.

But I’ve noticed that in this digital age, many of us are so quick to pull out a camera and start snapping anything.

The great irony is, that in our desperation to capture and hold on to the present moment, we’re actually missing it. We’re trying to preserve it for later, rather than living it now.

There may be something beautiful, stunning, and REAL, happening right before our eyes, but because we’re so busy with a camera in front of our faces, we fail to truly appreciate it.

Most photos we take dilute the moment, rather than preserving it. A photo of fireworks is nothing like the real thing. A beautiful sunset looks nothing on paper, but in real life? Breath-taking.

There’s most certainly a time and place for taking photos and capturing memories. I love a good photo, and I do take a few shots at special events and celebrations, snap candid shots when something grabs my attention, and get on a creative photo taking buzz from time to time.

But I don’t ever want the camera rule the situation. I try to sit and soak up the moment, and enjoy it for what it is.

I want to be thoughtful about when I click the shutter, to be less trigger happy, and more present to the beauty of now.

Consuming versus Community

~ Rachel King ~ Leave a comment

We were created to live in community. In connection with others. It’s our number one human need.

But today so many of us live such independent, separate, isolated lives.

What are we filling the community void with? We’re filling it with stuff. Consuming to fill the space left by a lack of community.

Consuming things.
Consuming social media.
Consuming online content.
Consuming entertainment.

 

We need to step back from this consumption. Notice the void. Feel it. Realise it’s a sign that’s something’s wrong with society.

Realise that if we all keep consuming to fill the void, we won’t reach out to others.

I don’t have an answer to this problem. Only an observation of how the problem is currently playing out.

But maybe, as we let ourselves feel the void, we’ll take the first step towards turning this ship of mindless consumption around.

And let it propel us forward to seek more meaningful community and connection.

Weathering the storm

~ Rachel King ~ 4 Comments

It’s been a little quiet on the blog lately.

My life has been far more challenging than I ever thought possible. I’d like to write more about it, share our journey, such that it might resonate with others. But it involves a child, and I’m very conscious of the fact that words are printed indelibly on the internet.

So I won’t say much right now. I hope to say more one day, maybe, once we’re through this storm.

It’s been a long, long storm. And the winds are still raging. It is still unbearably difficult.

So we wait.
Hope.
That one day, this storm will pass.

Finding joy in simple things

~ Rachel King ~ Leave a comment

I’ve just been to Europe for 3 weeks, for some fun travel adventures with my Dad and daughter. I know, lucky me. It was fabulous.

Any time I travel, I’m reminded of how little we actually need. And I’m compelled to simplify my possessions even further.

And I’m also reminded that it’s often the simplest things that bring the most joy. A friend asked me what a highlight of the trip was. And rather than any of the expensive paid activities, one of my favourite things? Going for a morning run in Paris.

Screen Shot 2016-05-18 at 08.48.28

Obviously, I can’t go running past the Louvre every morning (tres jealous of the Parisians who can!) but I can recognise that it’s often the simpler things that bring joy, and attempt to integrate those things into my life, in big ways and small.

How about you, what are the parts of your day that bring joy?

Lessons from life: Vincent Van Gogh and discovering beauty in the ordinary

~ Rachel King ~ Leave a comment

There are lessons to be learnt in the ordinariness of our daily lives, if we are attentive enough to notice them.

Vincent Van Gogh discovered this in a pair of shoes. While living in Paris, he went through a phase of painting old shoes. He saw the beauty, the profound, in one of life’s most ordinary things.

Van Gogh, Pair of Shoes, 1886
Van Gogh, Pair of Shoes, 1886
In a letter to his brother Theo, Vincent wrote,

“It is good to love as many things as one can… Poetry surrounds us everywhere.”

Van Gogh let his life tell a story that he could observe, learn from, and capture on canvas.

Can we turn down the noise and distraction of our own lives long enough to let the simplicity, the ordinariness of our own lives speak?

There’s so much to be learnt, discovered, and uncovered in the ordinariness of life.

If we would only stop long enough to listen.

Unplug long enough to listen.
Stop texting, scrolling, emailing, instagramming, long enough to listen.
Even just for a moment.