Coziness is so much more than a feeling or a decorating style or the way a wool sweater feels on a crisp, autumn day. It is a way of life. A good thing.
And it deserves to be protected.
The cozy life needs to be protected because it is a gentle way of life. It is seeing the beauty in our ordinary days and purpose in our hidden and small moments. It is also a cultivation on those things in the everyday moments of our days and in the midst of our tasks that need to be accomplished daily. It is living on a slower path, so as not to miss out on those beautiful moments, which are all too often overlooked in the hustle and bustle of how most people live. It is being aware that we are walking on sacred ground all day, every day. There is no ground that is not sacred, for holiness is all around us. It is living with a childlike view of the world, knowing that there is always magic and wonder wherever we may roam. It is having our imaginations awakened each morn and rekindling our wonder at the world. It is, above all, a sister to gentle living.
And in a world that is full of such harshness, gentleness needs to be protected and cherished.
Gentle living is something that few people fully experience. It is a sort of secret...the door to Narnia...the opening of the fairy door in the enchanted garden...an invitation to dine with Pooh in the hollow of a tree. It is magical and wonder-filled and beautiful. It's not hard to live this way; it just takes a hearty dose of courage and creativity and confidence. It is standing against the rapid pace of the world and saying that there is a better way to live. A lifegiving way. A way that feeds the soul and invites our senses to come to life and show us the way. It is a way of life that is centered at home and around the hearth, connected to nature and the earth's rhythms, and always being formed by beauty and goodness.
Several years ago, I came across a quote that said something along the lines of "autumn is the time of year when we learn how beautiful it is to let things go". And I think that explains so perfectly the message I wish to share in today's post.
In the noble fight to protect this gentle, cozy life, we are going to have to let go. Let go of those influences that speak negativity to our hearts and feed our souls dark thoughts. Let go of the sources in which those influences enter our lives. This means, in our modern-day, asking ourselves some hard questions about media and perhaps making some hard choices. It also means asking ourselves hard questions about the people we allow into our lives. Not everyone deserves to be in your life, including those you are related or close to. If someone is having a negative effect on you or constantly crossing the line or harassing you because of your beliefs, lifestyle, etc., they need to go. The answer to protecting the cozy, gentle life is to put up hedges...and be diligent and persistent in keeping them up. Not backing down or getting weak or giving into the temptation to cut them down.
It may seem harsh at first to say no to certain things and will take some practice. But nothing is more precious than your life and the life of those within your closest circle. And, dare I say, if you are a parent, you have an important responsibility to be the gatekeeper of your home and family and children's lives. It is not being harsh, even when removing certain people from your life, when you are protecting the wellbeing of yourself and those dearest to you.
Home plays an important role in the gentle, cozy life. It is to be a haven, a safe place, a protected place, the dearest place. Sally Clarkson, in The Lifegiving Home, writes, "I try to ensure...that my home is a haven from the destructive voices of the outside world. Home is to be a safe place, a refuge for all who enter, a protection from the harm and storms of the world. Yet often or even daily we open our doors-- usually via television or the Internet-- to ideas and images that can damage our faith, abuse our hearts and minds, scar our psyches, and tear apart our peace. Home should be a place where, behind its doors, one should expect to find protection and safety from all the harms of life, including voices that do not speak truth or wisdom. Only the foolish would invite just anyone to enter the door of their home...So we should be guards over what is allowed into our homes." And I would also add "who" we allow into our homes and lives.
We must protect our peace in all ways possible. We are responsible for doing this for ourselves and homes and those dearest to us. Goodness knows, there are many peace-stealers these days. These peace-stealers can bring depression, fear, anxiety, tension, or worse into our lives and homes. They are evil and detrimental to our lives, whether they be in the forms of media or people. It's high time we start getting the confidence to say "NO!" to those sources that are bringing darkness into our lives and stealing our peace.
Over the last seven years or so, I have been on a constant mission to remove all those peace-stealers from my life. Honestly, at first, it was hard. I was so tied to certain things online that made it hard to finally bid them farewell for good. There have been a handful of people in my life from the time I was born that have been horrible and I'll admit it was easier to bid them farewell, or at the very least, greatly limit my interaction with them, than it was to separate from online influences. I'm finding myself in a similar place right now...needing to let go of a few peace-stealers that I know are in my life. And they are called social media. Facebook was the first to go and it wasn't that hard. That's not a place where I spend much time anymore...it's kind of old stuff in the online world. I am asking myself if there are any other social medias that I am a part of that I need to let go of. I am finding with social media that what was once a positive place has become the exact opposite. It's now a place full of overpowering, loud voices of "insufferable know-it-alls" as the "Harry Potter" books say. The bad, negative, darkness over there far outweighs the good, uplifting, lifegiving. And I'm feeling it's time to bid it farewell.
There are so many avenues that are vying for our attention in order that they may steal our peace. However, the cozy, gentle life offers us something far better. We need only be warriors in the fight to stand up for this way of life. It is worth it and the fruit is beautiful. Protecting the cozy life...it's not for the faint of heart, but for those strong in the belief that the gentleness of a cozy life brings magic, beauty, wonder, goodness, and blessing to the most ordinary of days and simple of moments. Every action of protection we take is like a gold coin being added to our cup, and our goal is for our cups to be overflowing with those golden coins. Protection is an investment in the better way to live.
Bless you, dear one, as you fill your cup with golden coins as you protect your blessed, beautiful, gentle, cozy life!
♥