Bridget McNulty

Day 27: Stillness

// July 28th, 2010 // No Comments » // 29 Gifts, Decisions, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Love

As I mentioned yesterday, I have been B.U.S.Y lately… I’m not 100% sure why, but all of a sudden my man and I have been deluged with invitations and work has been reallllly busy too. So I’ve had very little time to myself, I’ve been rushing around too much (I hate rushing) and in general I’ve felt like my plate is full to overflowing.

So today I decided to give myself the gift of stillness. I left work on time and went for a 2 hour reiki session with an amazing healer. It was so wonderful to be able to lie down and soak up good energy. For anyone who hasn’t tried reiki, give it a go! It can be completely transformative. I went in feeling tired, rushed, a little worried and snotty. I left feeling pretty close to wonderful!

Taking time:

// June 25th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Time

I’ve had the most delightful week.

We had to take Monday off because of the soccer game being held at the Cape Town Stadium (in our street!) It was an afternoon game, and my man and I went – very exciting. Portugal scored 7 goals! I’ve been completely soccer mad, watching games almost every day (Me? Watching sport? Hard to believe!) but yesterday, for the first time since before World Cup madness began, I had a chance to catch my breath.

This was mainly because I had a half day at work (and alll day off today, yippee!) because we’re moving offices. I hadn’t realised quite how busy I’d been until I was faced with an afternoon of nothing to do. What bliss! Nothing on my To Do list, no chores to run, no emails to answer or phonecalls to return (well, yes, there were both of those, but I chose not to do them).

So what did I do? I went shopping. Slow, leisurely, lovely and relaxing shopping. I didn’t spend a fortune, I just needed a few essentials, but giving myself the afternoon to windowshop and wander around and look at anything I wanted to without looking at my watch (or my phone, which I had conveniently left at home) was a rare and lovely treat.

When I got home I pottered around watering my plants, and then did some sewing and mending I’ve been meaning to do for weeks (or possibly months). This morning I went to a Nia class, which was simply extraordinary – a combination of yoga stretches, dance, and a little bit of martial arts. I loved every second of it!

And this afternoon my man and I are going out for soup (at a place called Soupa – ha!) and then going for foot massages, one of our engagement party presents. After that I’m going to spend some time with the cutest girl in the world (my niece) and tonight we’re going to watch a movie. I ask you – what more could a girl want from a day?
(The answer is nothing!)

What’s so interesting, though, is that every week I have two whole days to myself, but I somehow never end up just doing what I want to do. There always seem to be things to do or people to see or places to go. But when I allow myself to slow down and just do what I feel like doing, followed by a little more of what I feel like doing, and a little more, I feel so wonderful! Vital and alive and full of energy (even though I went to bed late cause I was sewing up a storm…)

Do you ever have days of doing just-what-you-want? Why don’t we have more of them?!

Photo: cavan images, via naturally nina

Tiny inspirations.

// May 5th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Cape Town, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it)

Sometimes, I think, it’s not about the grand inspirations – those things that keep us going, the dreams that fuel our everydays. Those are necessary, sure, but sometimes I think it’s all about the tiny inspirations…
I went for a walk this morning, early, and it was all misty and still, and there were dogs frolicking in the dew of the park, and squirrels scurrying around the trees. The mountain was covered in cloud, and the air felt really still and peaceful.

Tiny inspirations.

Like a cup of steaming hot tea on a chilly mid-morning, or a pair of really warm socks that make you forget the floor is cold. A line of poetry that seems to hang mid-air, or a quote that encapsulates how you feel just perfectly. A ticked-off To Do List, a paid bill, a sung song.

I think these things are just beautiful. Tiny inspirations. What do you think?

Convenient inconveniences.

// April 8th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Cape Town, Decisions, Life (and the living of it), Time

I’ve had a couple of days of fairly consistent inconveniences… that have all turned out to be really rather convenient.

Last week our landline stopped working, just out of the blue. We called Telkom, expecting it to be a long, drawn-out affair, and they promised to send out a technician. So we waited peacefully for him to arrive. And he did! Within 24 hours. And the problem was solved in less than an hour.

Then on Friday morning my cell phone went crazy, not switching on, freezing, not letting me dial out or answer calls. Without getting all uptight about it, I took it to the Vodacom care shop (it’s still under warranty) and they booked it in for repairs, no charge. It was ready in 3 hours, good as new!

That same day, my scooter got a puncture, in the back tyre. My poor man had to push it home in the dark (what a sweetheart) and I couldn’t drive it to the tyre shop (obviously). So I asked the tyre shop if they had a pick-up service (no luck) and then remembered that my insurance (1st for Women) offers free towing services. So I called to enquire, and they hooked me up with a tow truck, no problem! Best of all, they called back to tell me who the tow truck company was and what time to expect them, and then they called to check if he had arrived on time. The tow truck they sent was a six and a half tonne monster, which was great fun to ride in (it really feels as if you can just squish other cars like bugs) and it got me to the tyre shop in ten minutes. At the tyre shop, I found out I didn’t need a new tyre at all, just a plug, which cost me R35 (about $3.50) and took twenty minutes!

So out of three situations that could have been frustratingly time-consuming, irritating, and expensive, they were all simple, hassle-free and virtually free.

Now that is what I call convenient inconveniences.

(PS: I haven’t quite figured out whether it all went so smoothly because I have excellent service providers, or because I didn’t get fussed and expect it to be a mission. What do you think?)

Sacred Sloth.

// January 19th, 2009 // No Comments » // Life (and the living of it), Time

I’ve come up with a new concept that I think could be quite powerful (and that just so happens to be rather delicious!)
I call it Sacred Sloth.

What is it? Well, every so often (I’d say every second week, but I’m still experimenting with the finer details), you give yourself a day off for Sacred Sloth. What that means is that you have full permission to sleep late, stay in bed reading till noon, wear your pyjamas all day if you like, lie in your hammock or on your couch, read voraciously, draw, eat delicious food, watch inspiring TV (none of that brain-rotting stuff!) and generally do whatever it is you feel like, in slow motion.

I had one of these days yesterday, and I have to say it’s a real tonic. It feels like I went on a mini-holiday. I highly recommend it. And because it’s only one day, there’s no need to feel guilty about wasting time. In fact, it’s the opposite of a waste of time, because a day of Sacred Sloth counteracts the effects of stress, and ensures you don’t burn out from working too hard.

Give it a go! You deserve it.

A day of total slow…

// December 15th, 2008 // No Comments » // Cape Town, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it)

I know, I know! I’ve been rather slack of late. But things have been non-stop busy.

My best friend came to stay last week, which was lovely, and then the day after he left, my man and I jetted off to Knysna (in the car, not a jet, unfortunately!) for a truly amazing wedding… We stayed a short distance from the wedding in what is possibly the coolest place I’ve ever stayed – Fern Gully (check it out at www.ferngully.co.za). If you are ever in the Knysna area, stay here!

The pictures absolutely don’t do it justice. It was a little wooden cabin (handbuilt!) on stilts overlooking the Knysna forest – completely private and completely wonderful. They’d built an outdoor shower on the deck so you could shower practically in the forest, and we were visited on our first afternoon by a Knysna loerie – apparently very rare. We woke each morning to birdsong and the sound of the breeze in the trees… heavenly!

But after the wonderful wedding and the very fun (but long) 4 hour drive each way, I’m pooped. My brother and his girlfriend arrive to stay with us on Wednesday, and all four of us are driving home to Durban on Monday – staying overnight at the extraordinary Nieu Bethesda, home to the Owl House (www.owlhouse.co.za). And then Christmas! With an epic 13 family members and nonstop celebrations…

… All of which I will blog about this week. For today, though, I’m having a day of total slow. Running a few errands. Reading voraciously. Drinking tea and being still. I believe the word I’m looking for is ‘tonic’.

Here’s the loerie we made friends with!

In the living of life:

// November 19th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Cape Town, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Philosophy

I often get caught up in reporting on it. As something cool / exciting / lovely is happening, I’ll think, “Ooh! Must write about this! Must tell so and so! Mustn’t forget this!”

But I’m beginning to think that’s a somewhat foolish approach. Because as soon as you take yourself out of whatever is happening, you take yourself out of it. It loses some of its flavour. One of the most difficult challenges my practical philosophy class ever set was to ‘just’ do something. When you’re driving, just drive. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re reading, just read. This is bordering on impossible for me! When I’m driving, I’m singing. When I’m eating, I’m planning. When I’m reading, I’m humming. And all along I’m thinking, thinking, thinking.

So the past few weeks I’ve been trying to correct the balance (and becoming a bad blogger in the process, I apologise!) It’s an extraordinarily eventful time for me, all of a sudden. I was sick, then my man was sick, then my parents came for a lovely lovely weekend visit, then I found out about the US book (which I’m still over the moon about!). Now I have work to do and an impending trip to Namibia (for work! Before the end of the year!) and we’re going cherry picking and lawn bowling and 80s partying this weekend, and next weekend I’ve got the Cosmo Awesome Women event in Joburg and then a 90th birthday in Knysna (5 hours from Cape Town). The day I arrive back I’m probably off to Namibia for a week, and when I return my best friend is coming to stay with me. Then my man and I are going back to Knysna for a wedding, and when we get back my brother and his girlfriend arrive to stay with us. And then we’re driving back to Durban (a mini road trip which will take  couple of days) for Christmas with the whole family.

So, as you can see, if I didn’t stay centered and in the moment, my head might be flying off its hinges!

And the one thing I keep returning to is that I want to enjoy this time of year. It’s frantic and full of people and probably lacking in the alone time I like so much, but it’s so exciting! And I want to be fresh and rested and firmly in the present moment so I can enjoy it. I don’t want to be stressed.

Don’t you want to join me? Join me in this experiment to see if you can ‘just’ do whatever you’re doing right now?

When is the last time you did something creative…

// November 10th, 2008 // No Comments » // Life (and the living of it), Time, Writing

… just for the hell of it? Not to create something specific, or to make money, or to prove you know how to do it, but just for the joy of creating?

I speak about this a lot with my friends – about the pressure of creating. Especially when you’re in a creative field, as I am. Sometimes I feel that if I’ve been writing all day, then I’ve fulfilled my creative quota. But unless the writing is free and open and not work- or novel-related, it’s actually not that pure, delicious form of creativity. And the problem is that once you get out of touch with that creative deliciousness, it’s very difficult to train yourself to get back into it.

So I have a challenge for you! This week, create something just for the hell of it. Buy some crayons and draw a picture (no matter how bad – I still draw like a six-year-old!) Cook a really beautiful meal, for no reason other than the pleasure of it. Try your hand at patchwork. Experiment with twenty minutes of free writing – just getting words down on the page. Paint! Whatever it is that unblocks that core of overflowing creativity in you, give it some time to breathe, and live, and explore. I guarantee you’ll feel better!

As for me, I’m going to rediscover the joy of random writing – crazy characters who pop in and out for a few brief paragraphs. I’m also going to hunt out that box of crayons I have lying around somewhere, and see if the six-year-old Bridget inside me doesn’t feel like drawing something… Happy creating, everyone!

Are you stuck on something?

// August 25th, 2008 // 1 Comment » // Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Philosophy, Time, Writing

Just a quick one today, to provoke a little thought…

In our last philosophy class, we were speaking about getting hung up on something that happened in the past, some emotionally charged issue that was impossible to let go of. Say you see someone who treated you really badly, and you haven’t seen them since the incident, and the moment you see them you feel all that anger and bile and angst rising again. What do you do?

Well, most of us think, “I have to deal with this! Why haven’t I dealt with this? Why am I still hung up on this when it happened so long ago? Why am I so angry all over again?” etc etc etc, and our minds start whirling like a merry-go-round on fast forward. Not exactly soothing.

This happens because our discursive mind (the chatterbox) is where we experienced the incident the first time, and where we experience it again – our memory throws it back into discursive mind, and it feels real, all over again. So how to escape this vicious cycle? Distraction. Do something more engaging than the thoughts, so that you can distract your mind with action. Watch a movie. Go for a run. Go dancing.

Only a short-term solution, yes. But you can’t deal with an emotionally charged issue when you’re feeling upside down, can you? It’s too late. You have to deal with it later, when you’re centered, when you’ve regained some sense of stillness. Then you’ll be able to look at it calmly and see a real solution. You’ll be able to come unstuck.

And I think that’s a pretty wonderful goal for all of us: unstuckness.