We spent the holidays with family at home in Bratislava. The weather was surprisingly warm which meant that we didn’t need our heavy winter boots nor jackets. We took advantage of the sunshine by going out for longer walks. I spent most of the earlier part of the holidays baking cookies which was fun.
My Mantra for 2023
Last year was all about slowing down and embracing seasonal living. This year I’m extending and deepening my practice with the mantra of ‘spaciousness’.
Why spaciousness?
Recently I came across the term ‘the spacious self’ while reading Stephanie Bennett Vogt and it resonated with me deeply. So much so, that I knew this was the next step.
I’m not going to define what is meant by ‘the spacious self’. I’ll let curiosity be your guide. Instead, I’ll just share with you what it means to me right now.
What spaciousness means to me right now is being less attached to outcomes. To follow intention with action but to also practice non-identification and compassion.
What I feel already, being a week into my practice, is that cultivating spaciousness will help me align with fresh possibilities.
A New YouTube Channel
Chasing Delight has a new (experimental) YouTube channel thanks to my husband who bought me a Hohem iSteady X2 gimbal for Christmas. I’ve being using it with my iPhone XS to make short videos of our walks around the city and our most recent day trip to Vienna. I’m not sure how this will evolve but at the moment I’m happy just having it as another creative outlet.
What I Watched / Read
The Happiest Season
I watched this last night. This movie caught me off guard because I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. I loved every bit of it – the characters, the acting, the styling and the story. I don’t really like holiday movies but this romantic comedy-drama directed by Clea DuVall has its own magic. I only secretly wished that Abby (played by Kristen Stewart) ended up with Riley ( played by Aubrey Plaza).
Dinner For One by Sutanya Dacres
I finished this book just before Christmas. It’s less about cooking than it is about a woman’s journey of self re-discovery after leaving a traumatic marriage – a journey I can relate to. Whereas my way out of that mess was through writing, she found her self-care in cooking. Her writing is very vibrant, honest and friendly and each time I closed the book, I felt that I had just had a chat with a friend. What she also does is give a different perspective of what it means to be a non-white ex-pat experiencing Paris and I really appreciated this insight. Sutanya has a podcast called ‘Dinner for One’ which you can listen to here. You’ll need to scroll all the way down to get to the episodes.
What sparked delight for you over the holidays?
I’m wishing everyone a happy New Year🥂 filled with lots of love.
