"...it is important that there should be places where not a great deal happens because such places remind us that life is not entirely and exclusively made up of exciting or significant events. Every life needs spells of calm, every life needs expanses of time when nothing much occurs, when one may sit for several hours in the same place and gaze upon static things, upon some waxen-leafed desert plant, perhaps, or a patch of dry grass. Or a group of cattle standing under a tree for the shade, the slow, flicking movement of their tails the only indication that they are animate beasts, not rocks; or a sky across which no clouds, or perhaps only the merest wisp of white, move."
--Alexander McCall Smith, from The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection
I don't remember when I started reading the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith, but it's been a favorite of mine for a long time. Smith's style is simple, clean, and appropriate to his characters, who are carefully drawn, deceptively complex, and extremely likable.
What is your version of gazing upon a group of cattle under a tree for shade? What spells of calm do you cultivate in your life, spells in which there is no agenda, no purpose, nothing to do except recharge your heart, mind, body, soul?
I can not survive without the calm - the introvert in me turn very ugly without it LOL!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things to do to recharge is to read in a comfy chair near the fireplace or in bed, letting the novel whisk me away into its world.
Listening to worship music calms and lifts the soul in amazing ways as you focus on the Creator, his majesty, sovereignty, power and love for me giving blessed assurance and a peace beyond measure.
Lunch in the mountains!
ReplyDeleteI think I remember recommending this author to you when you asked about favorite authors. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it - try some of the other series of his too! I subscribe to his newsletter so I know when something new is coming out and I can put a hold on it at the library.
ReplyDeleteLove those books! They're gentle, yet still interesting and as you say, with likeable characters who have wonderful manners! Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteMy absolute favorite calm moments are on our boat during the summer months. The rear of our boat faces east on Lake St Clair. I love to sit on the back deck and watch the sun come up over the water. I drink my cup of tea and watch the sun burn off the mist and light fog hovering over the water. It is an amazing way to start the day.
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