Breathing into the space between things (Mapambo Adornments: Edition 2024:5)
In this edition: a six word story and taking a step back. Also my first essay for Sparkle on Substack's "24 Essays Club"
Why Adornments? Just as the mapmakers of old added embellishments around the edges of their maps, I like to think of all the bits in this letter as adornments to life. If you enjoy this, I’d really love to hear from you (either hit Reply or leave a comment below). If you read via the Substack app, you can also share, like or restack this - all are welcome and appreciated!
Dearest Moodler
“Breathing into the space between things” is my own six word story for today, which I’m very much into this year.
Sometimes, I sit down at the most arbitrary times and write something that just needs to be brought into the world. Friday morning (Easter Friday) was one of those days. A family crisis that had left me with a restless, sleepless night, an ongoing ennui and lots of other things lead me to this point - taking a step back, taking a deep breath.
Just for today, I’m …
Not rushing, hurrying
Not getting sucked into the delusion that I need to be busy every moment of the day
Not looking at or working on my to do list
Not pushing to create new artAware of my capacity, what energy I need for myself and what I have left over for doings and to offer other people
Aware that I need to do this and will do it. I don’t need permissionStaring into space, looking at the trees bending in the wind, watching the squirrels playing on the lawn and the wood pigeons pecking at the moss
Wandering around this vast house (not mine!), just observing and feeling all that it isSipping tea, eating hot cross buns (it is Easter weekend after all)
Switching off my phone for a few hours
Talking a slow, moodling read of good articles, books and my own words
Writing in my journal with a green pen, just because I canBreathing into the space between things
Over to you.
What are you doing “just for today”?
Or how are you breathing into the space between things?
Inspiration for this piece
The style, “Just for today” is from several meditations by Andrew Johnson on Insight Timer
This post has been inspired by a number of posts starting with this one from
“We've been sold a wrong concept of rest” which lead to these:What if we all got the idea of wellbeing wrong? by
"Wellbeing is about capacity": A Conversation with Emma Gannon from
How To Slow Down, Hurry Less, and Do More by
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Essay 1 of 24 for 24 Essays Club
This piece is part of
’s 24 Essays Club - an absolutely marvellous idea from . This is how she describes it: “a challenge to get us re-focussed on our writing for the rest of 2024! It’s FREE to take part and open to everyone! Our collective challenge is to write (up to) 24 essays each by January 31st 2025 24 essays / posts in 44ish weeks - that’s just over 2 essays a month.”
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Finding the space between things and then savouring it rather than stuffing it with other things is ridiculously challenging isn’t it? I’m trying too, though sometimes find myself thinking I’m ‘savouring’ simply because I’m sitting down (and actually planning the next thing). Work in progress! x
Such beautiful words, Debs! Thank you for sharing your creative interpretation of my post amongst the other wonderful humans.
And I’m a tiny bit jealous of hot cross buns, I didn’t grow up with them but always admired them from afar.