Your 'Space'

Our nieghbors only see us, as we walk hand-in-hand on our daily walk over the fields, or as we stroll down to a nieghbor to buy fresh eggs. We stop and chat, relaxed and in no hurry. They only see us on our breaks from work. They, also, note our frequent absence and often wonder how and why we do so much international travel.

Being unstressed and relaxed, while being highly productive, is not happenstance. It is lifestyle and our home/work environment, our space, is a key component. We live in 'backcountry France', an area, which I frequently call the Appalachia of Europe. Our home is a one hour drive from the nearest highway, one hour from the nearest train station, two hours from an airport and, best of all, 45 minutes from the nearest supermarket. We live at 900 meters altitude, in clean air above the smog and have unobstructed views of the Swiss and Italian Alps, 200 kilometers distant.

We have no television (by choice), rarely turn on the radio, and are not subjected to the 20,000 daily advertisements, to which the average city dweller is exposed, daily. We grow most of our food, because we like the taste and independance and because it gives us a sense of being rooted. If we buy food, we buy from the man who produced it. If we do venture into a big box supermarket, which is a very unpleasant experience, we can only buy toilet tissue, laundry detergent and scrubbing pads. As we stand on the checkout line, we roll our eyes at the cart loads of crap people buy to stuff their bodies.

We are healthy, happy and relaxed, by design. On the macro scale, the World Health Organization (WHO) describes health as “the condition of perfect bodily, spiritual, and social well-being and not solely the absence of illness and injury.” As described by the WHO, how many people feel emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually healthy on a daily basis? People work in structures called ‘sick-buildings;’ go home to care for families so tired they are almost unable to function; and increasingly lose the connection with any sense of place in the universe. The way to reclaim life and live a life that matters is to create your own sanctuary, your 'space.'

Creating your own space restores peace of mind and enables one to stand back from the turmoil in one's life. Everyone needs to provide a place where one can reconnect with a sense of self, as well as Self. In other words provide hospitality to yourself, when you are stressed and spiritually hungry. Spirituality is more than a psychological and emotional need: it is an inherent biological need as our energy, our spirit, and our personal power is all one and the same force.

Remember: “There is more to life than merely increasing its speed.”- Mahatma Gandhi

Any questions??