Preferred Pursuits

I started this blog at the end of Summer last year.  I knew I had at last found a creative space to express my thoughts, feelings, emotions, values and beliefs and I started to dedicate time to creating posts that I felt were interesting, thought provoking and meaningful.

I hoped people would read them, but I believed those "people" would be my Friends.

Now,  I love my Friends, I have wonderful Friends as I have spoken about in so many other posts.
So I wondered why they didn't read my posts. Why they didn't comment and why they didn't become followers?!

I didn't really take it personally. My Friends know that I am an "ideas" kinda girl, in that  all the time they have known me, I have always talked about my ideas, all the new projects and tasks I am going to undertake!

As I have written about previously, I am striving for self actualisation and I have not been afraid to try out lots of different things to get there!

Over the last months however, I believe I have finally found my true vocation after travelling down many roads. I know now what I want to concentrate my efforts on. What I want to focus my attention on. 

I have reached this conclusion through the help of so many wonderfully descriptive, creative and imaginative blogs that I have had the pleasure of reading and becoming a follower of.

So now I understand why my Friends haven't really become avid readers of my blog.

Blogging is self expression, it's a form of creativity and productivity. It's a forum to meet other like minded indiviuals, and...................... it's kinda adddictive!!!

So I understand now, that although I share a deep connection with all My Friends, it doesn't mean that we are neccessarily like minded in everything we feel.

I have really only now started to invest the time and energy into this "blogging" world.

Ultimately, as I mentioned in previous posts, when I realised that no one else wanted to read what I'd written, I decided that keeping a record of my thoughts and activities, values and beliefs was important anyway and that the blog would just be for my benefit.

I realised however, that it would encourage me to write better and be creative if I thought someone else might read it too!

So I started to really look around the blogasphere and boy, have I found some Beautiful Blogs. Blogs that I relate to, blogs that I want to relate to, blogs by people I want to meet, blogs by people I wish I knew, blogs by people that I strive to be like and blogs by people who I feel I should have been more like.

I have learnt that, at longlast, I have a project - DragonFly Aspirations that I enjoy, that I won't get bored of and that will encourage me  to pursue the other projects that I am passionate about, because I may develop an audience of like minded individuals who will share the same beliefs.

One of the reasons I started this blog, was to highlight the issue of Animal Welfare to the attention of any readers. To get the idea of Veganism out there. This my biggest project and I am now very much involved in campaigning in any way I can.


So, that is two pursuits,  DragonFly Aspirations and AnimalAid.
I am also  going to pursue my crafts which I have been leaving on the sidelines while I try out other pursuits, that seem to  have fallen by the wayside.

After looking at all the other Fabulous Blogs, my creative juices are flowing and I am needing to "create" some recycled art projects.

I have been inspired by the artists I have come across who are using their blogs as a showcase for their work.

DragonFlyAspirations is giving me the motivation and incentive I need to get back to my Art Room, Sort out my lids, corks, ribbons, string, old clothes, old CD's, boxes, jars among others and get creating those recycled Art models that I haven't done for so long.

Two years ago, I started to make a Rather huge dragon. I moulded it out of Chicken Wire, and covered him with Paper Mache. The idea was to cover him with the many years worth of bottle tops that I have collected. This project never got finished because I went onto something else!

The wonderful photography displayed throughout many of the blogs I am following has motivated me to take a Course in Learning how to use my Camera properly! So this will be another pursuit, one that I have been procrastinating about for too long.

So there I have it. My Preferred Pursuits that sit nicely  alongside my main interests that are my Family, Dogs and the Natural World!

I am finally settled and relaxed and certain about what I will spend my spare time doing.

A long time ago, Rob and I turned away from striving after wealth and possessions to free us to pursue work for more profound reasons and to have more time and space for creativity and interesting and enjoyable activities. However we are still striving for more time and space but we know it is coming, we are heading in the right direction.
http://dragonflyaspirations.blogspot.com/2011/10/consumer-blitz.html
Like me, Rob has his Preferred Pursuits of rock climbing and pottery and yearns to be able to give more time to them. Unlike me, he has less time because he works longer hours but we can see the end to this way of life in sight now.

We Aspire to lead a sustainable, self reliant life where we can make time for the intentional activities we choose, our work, our hobbies and interests, community activities and interpersonal relationships.
We are choosing to find activities and a way of life that will improve our wellbeing -
Creative Arts, Gardening, Taking Action for Others and the planet and being at one with Mother Earth will add meaning to our lives and help us to become more fulfilled.


Here are photos of some of my creations for our"Joyfest".

And here are a Few creations that were made for us By our wonderful Friends!

 Rob made over 40 Flower holders and Lanterns:

THANKYOU TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE STARTED TO KEEP ME COMPANY ALONG MY BLOGGING JOURNEY AND TO THOSE OF YOU WHOSE BLOGS INSPIRE AND ENTERTAIN!

JENX

HALLOWEEN HARVEST AND HAPPY HARMONY

 I am lucky enough to be able to volunteer 1 day a week at an amazing gardening project which supports individuals who are going through mental health illness, which affects 1 in 4 of us.

Projects like these, which are sadly few and far between, are incredibly valuable.  Life is stripped back to basics and people can discover a sense of respect and wonder for nature, and experience something different from their normal lives which can be lonely, frustrating and challenging.

 Gardening allows us to truly reconnect with nature and projects such as this one, offers valualble opportunities to learn and grow and increase knowledge, understanding and experience of the natural environment.
Our environment gives us a world that has a past and present reality and provides opportunities to exercise and socialise. This project enables people, who may not have these opportunities in their day to day lives, to be a part of something wonderful which can only serve to build self belief,a sense of purpose and the realisation that we are part of something much bigger. This knowledge can help to put our problems into perspective.

 Being outdoors improves our psychological and physical health whether we are active or passive in our pursuit of enjoying the natural world. Garden colours and scents stimulate the brain.
This project allows people to relax and enjoy the outdoors while giving them the chance to work on the land, get back to nature and find out how food is produced.
There is something wonderful about going out in the morning, doing a hard days work and then actually seeing the results of our labour.
That's a real reward that money can't buy and extremely confidence boosting.

These are the pumpkins which have now been harvested all ready to be made into nutritios pumpkin soup to feed all the gardeners of the project thoughout the colder months!
Parsnips have also been harvested, some so big, that it was only possible to dig half of them out!
We also started to dig some of the celeriac last week and leeks and carrots are still being harvested.
What better than parsnip or pumkin soup with roasted celeriac, all home made and home grown.
This is about getting back to basics and working on the land with the seasons.

By giving ourselves the chance to form a relationship with the natural world, we can learn to recognise that our landscape has it's own life and it's own spirit. If we respect the natural world we can live in harmony with it and we can live off it. Our ancestors lived off the land and by the seasons, and each season presented them with new challenges, but they listened to the land and the land gave them what they needed because they were in tune with nature, they were part of it. Going back to basics means reconnecting with nature, growing our own food and protecting mother earth for us and our children. It means becoming self-sustainable and self-sufficient. We can't do any of that if we don't feel part of our natural environment, so go out, be creative, FEEL GROUNDED: - explore, plant, pick, taste, oberve, listen, take photos and indulge in the wonder that surrounds us, the wonder that is OUR world.

When Rob and I exchanged our rings during our Joyfest ceremony, these were the words that my brother spoke:

"These rings, a token of your love for one another, will serve as a reminder that all in life is a cycle, all comes to pass and passes away and comes to pass again.

May the elements bless these rings. Air for hopes and dreams; Fire for the spark of love; Water for harmony and healing; and Earth for strengh.

The circle is the symbol of the sun, the earth and the universe. It is a symbol of wholeness and peace. In the form of a ring, may it stand for you as a symbol of your love for each other, looking inwards and outwards, an embrace that binds without imprisoning, a support that reassures without restricting.

By the exchange of these tokens of your love for one another, so are your lives interlaced. What one experiences, so shall the other; as honesty and love build, so will your bond strenghen and grow.

The circle is a perfect figure, without beginning, without end, with no area of weakness. It is a symbol of the Circle of Life, of death and rebirth. This shall serve as a physical reminder of your vow, and that all things begin and end and begin again. These rings shall serve to remind you that life goes on, that these moments passs. When you are engulfed in anger or in sadness, look to your hand and remember that the wheel turns forever onward, and it is love that turns the wheel.

The symbolism of the circular rings was explained by the great native American leader, Black Elk, who said:

"Everything the power of the worlds does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball and so are the stars. The wind in its greatest power whirls. Birds make their nests in circles..............The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing and always coming back again to where they were. The life of a man or woman is a circle from childhood to adulthood, and so is everything where power moves."

To me, these words sum up our connection with Mother Earth. We are part of her, part of nature, part of the ever changing cycle of life.

WE MUST STOP DAMAGING HER, STOP PLUNDERING HER RESOURCES AND HURTING HER INHABITANTS. WE NEED TO PROTECT OUR WORLD, GIVE HER TIME TO HEAL AND THEN NURTURE HER SO SHE AND US CAN LIVE AND WORK IN HARMONY.

MOTHER EARTH IS OUR LIFE FORCE, WITHOUT HER AND ALL HER GIFTS TO US, WE WILL PERISH.

I AM ON A JOURNEY TO BECOME SELF RELIANT AND TO LEAD A SUSTAINABLE LIFE.

I HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BUT THIS IS MY ASPIRATION AND THIS BLOG IS HERE TO RECORD THAT JOURNEY IN ALL IT'S FORMS.

KEEP READING, GO GARDEN, TAKE A RAMBLE, JUST TAKE INSPIRATION FROM WHAT YOU READ AND FEEL!

THANKYOU!

Seize the second, Marvel at the moment, Embrace and Enjoy Time!

THE PEACE OF WILD THINGS (by Wendell Berry)

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the
great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am
free.

From 5.45 am on Monday mornings to when I get into bed on a Wednesday evening, my life revolves around my job and my family; cooking dinner, walking and feeding dogs, helping with homework and reading; giving lifts to my very own In-Betweener and juggling the all consuming nature of my job with listening to my ever cheerful daughter tell me about her day!

I have a wonderful husband who never ceases to amaze and astound me with his ability to multitask and get things done quickly and efficiently with patience and grace.

I am completely unable to multitask and need to get thing done before I start another which means that my ability to get things done quikly is zero!To put this into context; - last week, I arrived home from work later than usual to find that my husband, having only arrived home an hour before, had fed the dogs;

 fed our In-Betweener so he could go to
the gym with a decent meal inside him (rather than his usual routine of stopping at the Spa or Chippy on the way home, or completely worse (for me at least) McDonalds (sharp intake of breath, and breathe Jenny!!!!); had our daughter doing her homework and was chopping vegetables with dinner all on the go!

Now, if the shoe had been on the other foot, I would have spent probably 20 mins or so, playing with the dogs, another 10 mins or so unpacking my bag and opening the junkmail post just to sort it into the recycling, and perhaps, if he was lucky, by the time my husband was walking through the door, I might be feeding the dogs!

When I get into bed on Wednesday evening, I can breathe a  sigh of relief and know that I have several days ahead of me when I can switch off from work and put all my concentration into my family, first and foremost, and then my friends and other interests!
However, all too often I find myself waking up on a Thursday , Saturday and Sunday with a feeling of anxiety, fretting about all the things I want to do, all the things I haven't done, and all the things I might never do and all the things I think I "should" do.This feeling doesn't occur on a Friday as that day is set aside to pursue my love of being outside in the natural world with the desire to expand my knowledge of gardening and the mental health field, in the form of voluntary work at a Therapeutic Gardening project for individuals experiencing mental health illness. By doing this, I have given myself routine and structure and a "committment" to someone else.

The problem with Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays is that I am not committed to anyone but myself and my plans. My routine and structure of 4 days a week, when I have to get up at a certain time to walk the dogs goes out of the window and I do not appear to be good at adapting to that change!
I think this uneasy feeling has increasingly become more prominent over the years as I have reduced my hours at work and find myself with more time to pursue the above activities! However, over the years, I have found  myself, and in finding myself, I have also realised my aspirations, hopes and desires. Now, this is a double edged sword, because although it is a wonderful revelation to know who I am, what drives me and what I want, it is also a frustration that I didn't know it before, and now have a shorter time to fit it all in!

And it is this that keeps me awake and causes that anxiety!

And there is so much I want to achieve that I honestly feel that I really won't do it all in this lifetime! Ok, maybe that sounds abit drastic, but one example is the fact that I never knew what I wanted to do and fell into the counselling work that I do now, work that is rewarding but which drains the life out of me.
Now I know that my vocation is working with animals and wildlife, in nature and the environment. Raising awareness of issues related to these subjects.
And yes, although I am pursuing my vocation and making it the centre of my life, I know I will never be a naturalist, a wildlife expert, an environmentalist, scientist, conservationalist or marine biologist. So, yes although I can  take responsibility for changing the world in my own small way, my disappointment just lies in the fact that it took so long to recognise that I can do this and that perhaps I will never be a wildlife presenter or journalist who gets to go to Borneo to look after orphan orangutans or to Bhutan to search for Tigers!
AND I WILL NEVER GET TO SIT ON A SOFA WITH CHRIS PACKHAM! (if you know me, you know how much I love and admire Chris for his knowledge and passion!)

And therein lies the heart at the subject of this post.

The poem above reminds us that nature and all it's beauty is a part of us, and us a part of it. The same life force that animates us, animates the natural world in which we live, love and thrive.
In every moment we can appreciate the gifts that nature provides, that is the true value of nature.
Birdsound in the morning can lift me away from the treadmill of my pointless, riduclous and idle thoughts. I find it an extravangantly exuberant sound which lifts my spirits and warms my soul.

The lovliness of the birds filling the early hours with passionate song reminds me to just enjoy what I have, what I'm doing and who I am right here, right now. Not everything has to have any more a purpose than that I enjoy it and feel good about doing it, even if it is gloriously pointless!

(like spending hours writing this blog when no-one but me might read it?!)?!

So what I have to stop doing is fretting and feeling guilty about all the things I feel i "should" or "need" to do and just concentrate on those that I "want" to do. Those activities that I value because they enrich my life and  the lives of  my family, my friends and my community  increasing my self-reliance and creativity.
This includes my voluntary work which gives me a great deal of satisfation for so many reasons; also walking and running with the dogs and my daughter; keeping this blog which may or may not benefit others, but it benefits me to keep it; Indulging in my creative streak by making cards and presents which benefits my friends and family and gives me the opportunity to foster that creativity in my daughter; baking; reading; cooking with my daughter and spending time with friends.

As I write this, it seems alot to "fit in". But my challenge is to realise that I don't "need" to or "should" "fit it in" at any particular time and that I have plenty of time, the only person putting time limits on me is me! and when I allow my mind to work overtime, I create the anxiety which in turn creates the procrastination, which in turns creates more anxiety!

"SHOULD" is a Weapon word. A word that only creates inner stress and guilt within us. There are things that do need to be done, such as abit of housecare (as opposed to housework!), laudry, helping with homework, getting my daughter to bed at a reasonable time, etc etc. These things can still be done with enjoyment as long as we don't place a time restriction on ourselves!

If I demand less of myself, I can allow myself the more enjoyable and life-affirming "things that just happen" such as an impulsive visits to see a friends, or inviting them to me, or going on a long walk with the family. My best moments, evenings and days out, have been when they were completely unplanned.

When we are constantly aware of time, we are not living in the moment because we are always planning our nexst move!

The irony is, that a big part of my conselling practise is to encourage people to focus on the present, not worry about the past or the future. I'm not always too good at applying that to my own thought process!

The last 2 days have allowed me to apply some of these values. I haven't felt 100%, nothing major, just a headache that gets worse as soon as I move too much or feel stressed.........................

I have allowed myself to be sick! I haven't put  any time restrictions on myself apart from the few hours of work I have done!

This is why I have completed my 6th post, and am on the way to completing my 7th!

I am reading the most amazing book at the moment which speaks to me in every way it could and it's message seeps into my every pore!

The Main message of this book is to encourage, empower and teach us how to live a simpler life. Ironicallly
I think maybe since I've been reading it (which, incidently  is really only this week as I've had some more time to myself), I may have got myself more stressed which could be the reason for this headache?........

So why would reading a book that is supposed to be informing me that life doesn't have to be stressful in the least, be making me feel slightly restless?..........

Tom Hodgkinson is living the life I endeavour to. A simple, basic, enjoyable and creative life. My stress stems from the fact that I want to be living that life too,  and with a few major changes, which are all on the horizon this will be happening, perhaps within a year. However there is much to be sorted out first and maybe reading the book is reminding me that what I am striving towards is actually going to happen but that feels a little scary, exciting and uncertain. Maybe the stress also comes from wanting my husband to want what I want and knowing that he has a slight variation on my aspirations (even though he totally values them) and the knowledge that we will  have to
work through that.

(Having found my vocation, I am now on the way to making that the center of my working life with my husband. We  have found a vocation that we both want to make a life from, yes we have slightly different ideas about how we are going to make it work, but make it work we will and I hope to record the journey on DragonFly Aspirations!)

I WILL be writing about this book and how it is relevant to me probably for the duration of this blog! I share Tom Hodgkinson's philosophy on life completely. My aspiration is to follow that philosophy as closely as possible. It won't be easy, and will present challenges, but I totally believe in his attitude, beliefs and values and appreciate that I now own a manual that sums them all up so neatly and presisely! It makes life a little easier to know that I have this valuable resource to hand, so that I can keep referrring to it whenever I am experiencing self doubt in my desire to "throw off the shackles"!

Rules for Being Human:

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it but it is yours for the entire time this time around.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant or stupid.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentaion. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works".
4. A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive there are lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is not better than "here". When your "there" has become "here" you will simply obtain another "there" that will, again, look better than "here"
7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you.
9. Your answers lie inside you. The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need is to look, listen and trust.
10. YOU WILL FORGET ALL THIS.

I am off to walk my dogs feeling extremely smug and satisfied that I have completed post no. 7!

Till post no. 8  - GO AND ENJOY ALL THAT NATURAL WEALTH AWAITING FOR YOU OUTSIDE!