Little Treasures #15
A collection of glimmers and gold dust for some extra weekend sparkle!
Pockets of Peace
“A quiet place to eat?”
“You know you’re in New Orleans, right?”
So said the exceptionally patient and helpful chap at the bell desk during my recent work trip to New Orleans.
As you’ll know if you read Little Treasures last week, my journey to get there hadn’t been quite as straightforward as I’d hoped. What I needed was a quiet spot to relax, enjoy some etouffee, and read a couple of chapters of my book so I’d be refreshed and ready for work the next day. But that’s not quite the vibe in the dynamic and energetic city that is New Orleans!
And so, I’m not all that surprised that he was slightly taken aback by my request!
Looking back, even 10 years ago, I’d have been all in for getting a real taste of New Orleans in all its cultural glory! Exploring the French Quarter and finding a great place for Creole cooking and music! But as I add to my “levels achieved*” score in this game of life, I find it’s often the quiet moments that I crave the most, especially when I have the opportunity to be alone.
My favorite time of day? Getting up at 6 am before anyone else at Corbin Towers is stirring, except for the pets, of course, and relishing 30 minutes with that glorious first cup of tea and my journal. No distractions, no noise (unless Rex spots a rabbit in the garden!), just perfect, unadulterated calm and peace. I can feel my nervous system regulating even as I type that!
What’s funny is that it’s my mum’s favorite time of day too. I could never understand why she got up so early when I was a teenager, doing my best to stay in bed for as long as possible, despite her encouragement not to waste the day.
Her gentle nudge was often accompanied by the banging of pans in the kitchen and maybe some extra hoovering to try and wake both me and my sister from our slumber before the morning was done!
But now with kids of my own, it makes so much sense! I love my family dearly. I thrive on the chaos and mayhem of life with our teen-ish boys. But I think it’s that contrast that makes me love those magical pockets of peace and calm even more, because they bring with them some much-needed balance.
It’s a ritual that extends to my driving time, too. In my early 20’s when I was driving a little red Coca-Cola van around the Norfolk Coast selling pop, I’d be singing along to all the ‘90s classics on Radio One! I wore out not one, but two cassettes of James’ Greatest Hits during those halcyon days!
Once we moved to the US, I transitioned back to my original love of classical music. I think Mozart’s Greatest Hits might have been the first album I owned! There was an amazing local radio station in Virginia that would play Grieg’s “Sunrise” from Peer Gynt right as the sun rose each morning, and I’d always tune in if I was driving. It was always a super magical moment if it coincided with me driving past the Mall in DC and all of the beautiful monuments by the water. Even more so if it was cherry blossom season!
But now? I make all of my solo drives in total quiet. It’s a little bit of extra me time, and occasionally, it’s when some of my best ideas show up. It also helps me concentrate better on my driving. Even after nine years of driving on “the wrong side of the road,” I still have to think hard, especially at junctions turning left.
And so now, as I embrace these rituals that I’ve built almost unconsciously into my life, I think about where else I can create those little mini oases of calm.
I know I do it when my boys are at soccer practice - retreating to the car with my book for 90 minutes of marvelous reading time, all along hoping nobody thinks I’m being anti-social! (Although in the words of Mel Robbins, maybe that’s a “Let Them” moment!)
Talking of books, it’s a concept that David Marlow writes about in one of my most recent reads, The Ikigai Way. He talks about the importance of “getting the noise down” in our lives and moving from “chaos to calm” to uncover our life’s true purpose. His explanation of the seven rituals of calm from Japanese culture is a great place to start exploring ways to quieten our minds when there’s so much trying to grab our attention every second of every day.
So I’m going to start looking for more opportunities to build in those pockets of peace into my days, where I can, and see where that adventure takes me. And if you have any tips, I’d love to hear them!
* Life Levels Achieved - I saw someone post on LinkedIn recently that rather than thinking about their life in terms of years, they’d decided to think of it as levels achieved in a video game. I LOVE that reframe!
This Week’s Word
Following the theme of peace and calm this week, this is the word that jumped out at me as the perfect word for this segment, “Quiescence.”
It feels to me like there’s something liberating in giving myself the permission to be temporarily quiet and not active. It’s a chance to recharge my batteries and not feel an obligation to do anything at all, even for just a short time.
So often, that feeling of obligation comes from no one but myself, which is definitely a work in progress! And I’m hoping that having that awareness will help me to get more comfortable with taking those moments of calm.
If you have a favorite underused word you’d like to add to my collection and see featured here, I’d love to hear from you! Just click the button below!
This Week’s Book Recommendations
I’m avidly working through my current TBR pile now that we’re returning to a bit of routine, and I’m loving having my soccer practice reading time back on the calendar!
With that said, I don’t have any new recommendations for you this week, but I will tell you that I really enjoyed “Four Thousand Weeks” by Oliver Burkeman and would highly recommend it.
The idea of maximizing the time we have on this planet in the best possible way is a topic close to my heart, and ties beautifully into this week’s Little Treasures’ themes of peace and calm.
I know I’m often focused on being as productive as possible in the time I have available. Burkeman provides a compelling reason to approach it differently. Is life really about being productive? Or is it about relinquishing any idea that we can control time, and through that realization, living our best and most beautiful lives?
Full review to follow on LinkedIn next week!
Reflection Corner….
“Reflection Corner” this week is centered on the theme of finding pockets of peace, with thanks to Chat GPT for being my thinking partner!
Where are the hidden pockets of peace in the landscape of your life, and what might you plant there to help them grow?
And to take it further:
What does your inner oasis look like? When do you visit it—and how do you refill its well?
If peace were a plant in your garden, what kind of care would it need?
Where is your life asking for shade, stillness, or softness right now?
Pull up a chair, your favorite pen, and notebook, and enjoy a moment of peaceful reflection!
Little things that brought added sparkle to my week…..
There have been some glorious moments in my week, which I’m celebrating today:
Catching up with a dear friend whom I haven’t spoken to in far too long. It was another powerful reminder of the joy of connecting and how, with true friends, time doesn’t keep score. When life gets in the way as it so often does, it’s always possible to pick up where you left off, even when several years have passed in between. And hearing from someone out of the blue to say they’ve been thinking of you is a magnificent thing.
King Birds being King Birds! We have a large population of King Birds around Corbin Towers, and they have a call that always makes them sound so happy to be hanging out together. This week, on one of my daily walks, I spotted three of them, cozied up together on a branch, eyes on the folks passing by. A King Bird watch party, perhaps? A sight that really warmed my soul! And for clarity - AI doesn’t seem to know what a King Bird looks like, so take the pic with a pinch of salt! I’ll try and snap them myself next time!
Hearing an update about Mr. Fox. One of my favorite reads from last year was “Fox World” by Jack Russell. It tells the story of the author’s journey, recovering from heart surgery, and how his life intertwines with that of Mr. Fox on his mission to walk 500 miles. This week, commenting on one of my LinkedIn posts, Jack shared a photo of Mr. Fox, who’s now 15 years old! I always love it when the authors of the books I read comment on my posts, and this one felt especially splendid, to know that Mr. Fox is still living his best life. I’m excitedly awaiting the next installment!
Thank You, Dear Reader!
And with all that said…..
Thanks so much for reading “Little Treasures” this week. If you’ve enjoyed it, please share it with your friends.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, and to my UK readers with kids just out of school, I hope the Summer Holidays bring all you wish for - including some pockets of peace!
Sparkle & Shine!
Lynds
A little bit about me….
I’m Lynds Corbin - a commercial capabilities change-maker, coach, mentor, eternal optimist, book lover, Olympic-level tea drinker, and sideline-loving soccer mum.
I write about the joy that comes from the little treasures that show up in our lives every single day.
You can follow me on LinkedIn HERE if you’d like to.