In one of my earlier newsletters, I shared a fantasy about living free of the calendar. There were many of you who felt the same way. Thank you for your comments and emails.
It’s not possible for me, at this stage of parenting, to live completely without a calendar. School routines dictate when we can take holidays, when we have to remember certain items to pack, what afternoons are dedicated to sport practice, and once my daughter’s social life gets thrown in, well, I can hardly survive without a calendar!
So, I rebel however I can and let go where possible.
These last weeks of healing from the hip surgery have been slow and as gentle as possible, with my calendar cleared more than it has been in years. It’s been fabulous!
Our perspective is always a choice and there are options in how to reshape our situations.
For me, it has been acknowledging that my time off fell within my favourite seasons: autumn and winter. There have been days so perfect I’ve wanted to cry in wonder. It may have been from how nurturing the gentle sunshine has been or when the mist hides my home from the rest of the world and rain falls so softly that everything feels loved.
Simply being present and going gently, while the intelligence of my dear body went to work repairing the muscles and scars, slowed life down in the best of ways.
(The surgery was a great success. I thank God for modern medicine and to not be living in a war-zone, so such surgery was possible for me.)
Without human-made time dictating as much of my life, time itself expanded. My soul felt safe to let go into healing and presence – and especially, into wonder of the natural world around me, on a whole new level. The days have felt longer despite the shortening length of daylight until the recent solstice.
It is rare in life that we create these periods of deep rest for ourselves, so life often has to do it for us.
Sometimes, it takes these extended periods away from regular life for shifts that have been building to slip properly into place.
Many of us are experiencing an ever-increasing desire to slow down further.
The pace of society has become insane, unhealthy, and unsustainable for wellbeing.
I’m proud to have honoured this yearning to slow down - as a process of deepening stages over the years. It has only become possible through knowing and loving myself enough to recognise the longing.
And that’s what it takes: knowing yourself and reaching the time of life where you can no longer deny its call.
Gone are the days when I followed other people’s formulas of a weekly newsletter, a weekly blog post, and at least twice daily posting to social media. That feels so exhausting now!
Pressure is rarely the catalyst for our best creativity, though some people do seem to function well enough that way.
I prefer a more loving approach, one where I can be fully present with my heart in a safe and happy place.
Writing these newsletters and creating the vlog are both love projects for me, in that I come to them with an intention of service and inspiration. They don’t really make me any money. Instead, they satisfy my love of story-telling while keeping us connected. I love to serve through them. (And I thank you for the time we share through them.)
But I also walk my talk.
This means that creating a life free of regrets and living my most authentic and enjoyable life is a priority for me. I love myself enough to do that.
So, I’ll be back again when I’m ready but I’m not holding myself to fortnightly newsletters at the moment. It’s a different time of life. Thank you for understanding that.
I won’t be absent so long that you forget who I am or me, you! It’s just that this extra spaciousness is giving me room to expand into the next version of myself, the next stage of this beautiful journey of life, and I am honouring that.
I wish you the strength to do the same: to honour the heart as it calls you.
Life wants to be fluid, not fixed and rigid. Nothing stays the same and trying to force it to is blocking the goodness that wants to reveal itself for your own next stage.
Let yourself be surprised by how good it can feel once you’ve found the courage to embrace flexibility.
With love,
Bronnie.
PS. I loved creating this latest episode of my vlog because it was done so with spaciousness. It’s called A Simpler Way: My Journey Back to the Wild.
In it, I take you through peaceful days in the bush, moments with wildlife, and quiet reflections under the open sky.
If you’re curious about slow living, finding peace in the natural world, or stepping away from the noise, this one’s for you.
Thanks for being part of the journey.
Hi Bronnie, I’ve been following you for years and always love whatever you post but this one has hit home especially for me today. I too am navigating a health issue that has been developing for a long time due to 40 years of very physical jobs that I have loved but now it’s time to just slow down. Your beautiful email came at exactly the right time and was just what I needed to hear. Isn’t it sad that a lot of the time, as women, we don’t listen to our own advice because we’re too busy looking after everybody else’s fragile states instead of our own. Thank you for your wisdom and sharing it with the world, you’re a true gem. All the best with your recovery and taking time out for yourself.
Happy healing vibes 💞