Four books for the little and big questions on life
Lazing at home has come to an end. Students piled onto trains on Sunday afternoon, children headed back to school, and we are mostly all back into our normal life routines – whether work, caring for others, or other life choices.
We have hopefully all had time to think about life and home and how one informs the other.
The great and generous stretch of twelve months of newness beckons - and with it comes options. Options are hopeful. Options help us project what this holiday in the sun will do for us. And we ponder what training for a 10km run will do for us too – both the physical and the mental gains. We of course think about our homes – lying on the sofa gives us the time to stare at our kitchen cabinets or the colour of our walls. If you are unlucky, others horizontal on your sofa also had time to share their thoughts.
I believe that knowledge is everything. Seeking it and then sharing it so that we understand the why before we chose the what. Maybe you think you want/need a new kitchen. Before you rush to the showrooms, perhaps a few questions about why it is on your radar. Who is sharing the space, do you like cooking, or perhaps a dining room that happens to be somewhere you prepare food is more your thing. Or maybe you’re thinking about it because you think you should rather than any actual need. Perhaps a lick of paint is enough. Perhaps a new piece of art hanging over the kitchen table would bring you more joy. Perhaps you actually want to move to the other side of the world, and these kitchen questions are a good distraction from your greater unspoken needs. These thoughts can be applied to kitchens, gardens, locations, jobs and living room colours.
So to start the year, I thought four books that I have read and re-read over the last year, might be a good starting point to the little and the big questions. Foundation is our colour of the week. I think this is the very best colour we can start our year with.
What I’m reading
Four books that have made me think and I hope could be helpful
One of many great books from the School of Life – who I recommend as a resource to untangle knotty thoughts. One I have had since I bought my first precious flat in glorious Tooting – oh how I long for the Habitat of old. One newly read and somewhat heart breaking, but I hope makes us understand how lucky we are. And finally a book that was a gift from a friend. Modern philosophy can teach us much – especially in the knotty realms of social media. There are links on all the books but you can choose where you order or borrow from.