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PETITES PENSÉS LUNDI:
A new addition to TSLL's regular postings, available to all readers, non and Basic and TOP Tier members. Enjoy the Petites Pensées Lundi post each and every Monday as you begin the week, a shorter post replacing the Monday Motivational post, as I dive into completing TSLL's 4th book. This post, sharing thoughts to ponder, or as I am choosing to title them, Petites Pensées, 'small thoughts', while not small in depth of content, but rather small in length - no more than 1-3 paragraphs, with an introduction sharing from where the post was written or conceptualized wherever in the world I might find myself to offer a glimpse into one of the numerous and unique ways to live a life of contentment.
“The very definition of unconditional love is it is not dependent on anything or anyone. So to experience unconditional love, we don’t necessarily need to be with another person. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy being with another person, but we don’t necessarily need them to experience it.” —Andy Puddicombe
The Setting:
- Lieu: Nestled into the sofa, savoring being back home after a couple of days away.
- Thé: Mariage Fréres Darjeeling Master
- Des Sons: Listening to Mozart’s Symphony #31 “Paris” in D K 297, popping corn on the stove soon to be placed in a bowl for evening noshing while viewing a film
Saturday evening of this past weekend I arrived back home at Le Papillon, a home shared solely with my pups, after two days away. Immediately, upon stepping foot out of my car and into my home, a soothing wave of nourishment swept over me. And this followed the two days away to see family that were absolutely wonderful. I savored and will hold many moments with my niece and nephew, mother, sister-in-law, and brother fondly in my memory, but I was most glad to return home. My well-spring of nourishment comes from the life and sanctuary that I have chosen after years of choosing and remaining determined to live a life that brings infusions of energy to my days on a regular basis.
Sometimes, Oftentimes we don’t realize we have muted ourselves in our own life if we haven’t surrounded ourselves with the proper ingredients – also what I would describe as nourishment. If we haven’t properly nourished ourselves, it can be difficult or impossible to possess the energy to explore what brings us to life followed by the ability to fully embrace and explore it. It took many years for me to be brave enough to begin to explore outside the boundaries of what was modeled to live a ‘good’ and ‘acceptable’ life. But once I began to see glimmers or sparks occur that raised the bar on how amazing life could be solely by following my curiosity and throwing my entire attention and effort into an idea that would pop up seemingly out of nowhere, I continued to trust with fewer hesitations my inner compass. As someone far wise than me once said, “and that has made all the difference”.
The concept of unconditional love provides a reminder to relinquish expectations and definitions and stop assuming we know what is best for someone in order to have love in their life. Because yes, love is vital for living a life of deep and abiding contentment, but love comes from how we engage with the world – are we being loving? If we have too narrow of a definition and thus expectations of in which form love must arrive and be in our life, then already we aren’t practicing unconditional love.
Love arrives in our life every single day if we look for it. In the sunshine that warms us, to the kind hello and thank you from a neighbor or an intimate loved one. That is love. And most important of all is for us to be love in our daily lives with how we greet the day, how we speak to ourselves, how we engage with our colleagues, friends, pets and family, how we nourish ourselves and others with the meals we eat and create, the way we care for our sanctuary that has the potential to care for its inhabitants in a way that they need to flourish, and in so many other ways that infuse our life with quality and thus reason to be appreciative for the amazing life we have the fortune to live.
Unconditional love. A liberating practice if we are brave enough to embrace it both toward ourselves as well as those we hold dear and the greater world. A simple shift from limiting and expecting to letting go and being love changes both the tone and the joy of our everyday lives.
SIMILAR POSTS FROM THE ARCHIVES YOU MIGHT ENJOY
6 Fixed Life Ideas to Let Go, episode #16
A wonderful read for a Monday morning, thanks Shannon.
Wishing you a wonderful Monday Tania. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by.
Oh Shannon. Your statement “oftentimes we have muted ourselves in our own life….” touched me.
Yes, the boxes we build around ourselves of what we think keeps us safe and secure, are actually limitations we place ourselves. A very good reminder when I’m feeling scared or nervous to try something new.
Beautiful post. Thank you.
Oh how very truly! This resonates for me as well.
Sharri, that statement grabbed me, too!
Thank you Sharri for sharing what spoke to you and sharing why we might refrain from trying something. Living in full color as they say nourishes us in more ways than we can ever understand until we do it. At least that has been my experience and what I try to remind myself of when I am feeling timid. Have a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by. xo
So true, Sharri.
A beautiful post! Thank you, Shannon!!
De rien! 🙂 Have a wonderful day Mary.
Great subject. Unconditional loving is truly a gift. It makes us complete as human beings.
Bonne semaine
Kameela😊
Bonne semaine Kameela. Thank you for stopping by!
Hello Kameela! So nice to see you here. I look forward to seeing you back in the TSLL community. Hope all is well. 😊
Good to “see” you Kameela. Thought of you last night when I was concocting my skincare.
Merçi beaucoup Michelle. That’s lovely to hear. Have a lot to catch up on but nice to be back.
Kameela😍
I agree, ma chère soeur, a quiet, but powerful truth. Gros bisous
~R.
C’est gentil ma chère soeur. Ça va? Tu as raison.
Gros bisous
Kameela😍
Tout va bien ici, m’amie, et j’espère pour toi aussie maintenant.
Gros bisous😍
Rona
Kameela, well seeing your comment made my day!! So wonderful to have you back. We all missed you, Take care Josanne
Josanne merçi beaucoup. So sweet of you to say that. It made my day as well. Am easing back slowly. I have to catch up as I’m behind with all the posts. Missed everyone. Kameela😍
This is great.
What a sweet way to start the day! Small but rich thoughts on unconditional love seen in a new light. Thank you, Shannon. I know very well the relief of returning home after spending time with family, wonderful (or not wonderful) as they are.
Thank you for stopping by Cannon. 🙂
Such a beautiful post to meditate upon on this Thanksgiving Monday here in Canada! As I reflect on gratitude today, I am including you and the pups and this community that truly uplift the quality of my life 💛 Thank you Shannon!
Dani,
Happy, happiest of Thanksgivings to you and thank you for your kind extension of gratitude. That means more than you know. xo
Happy Thanksgiving Dani! May your heart be filled with gratitude as you reflect today. 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving, Dani!
Bonjour, Shannon! Your thoughts on the peace and nourishment of Le Papillon brought to mine a quite from a wonderful book, The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton: ““She could stay at her own place, in her own bed, with her own books and her favourite teacup, without having to negotiate and explain herself.” That resonates deeply with me. I was able to enjoy that very experience for spans of time this summer and early autumn.
A lovely post about unconditional love, with many aspects to ponder. Merci beaucoup!
Ellen,
Thank you for sharing that quote and the book from which it came! The last phrase of the sentence spoke to me deeply and likely why it resonates so much for so many. So happy to hear you were able to have time such as this in abundance these past few months. Thank you again and for stopping by. Wishing you a wonderful start to the week. 🙂
What a lovely quote.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful quote Ellen. It really resonated with me as this is a state of being that I am working towards for myself. Glad to hear you were able to experience it yourself. – Melissa
Beautiful little post on unconditional love, Shannon. Your thoughts and quote from Andy Puddicombe, truly resonate with me. So glad to hear that your heart is full of good moments having spent time with family. Returning back home feels like a big warm hug…contentment. 🙂
Indeed! Indeed! 🙂
I agree, Karen, Andy Puddicombe’s words resonate–unconditional love is dependent only on ourselves, nothing outside, which is liberating and, as Kameela says, truly a gift. xx
Wonderful post on this beautiful Monday morning.
It is funny to me how most people assume that a relationship will bring you true love, however that is oftentimes not the case. Even though one is in a relationship, it does not mean one is unconditionally loved.
Have a wonderful week.
~Michelle
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on today’s topic Michelle. Wishing you as well a wonderful week and thank you for stopping by. xo
Thanks for brightening my Monday evening. Sitting here with a cuppa.
Unconditional love is a fascinating subject, a little like eternity. Some days, I totally get it and sometimes, I have a hard time wrapping my head around it.
It has many layers, thank you for today’s angle!
Martina,
Thank you very much for your comment. Your open-mind and curiosity are a joy to read. 🙂
Shannon, I am so grateful for your creation of these pithy, but powerful, Petites Pensées. They soothe, they enchant, they guide, they spark, they are something to savor savor savor throughout the day, if not the week. I shall definitely be creating a calm ritual of sipping a beautiful tea and listening to enchanting music next time I peruse. (A lovely bound collection to hold in one’s hand would, in my humble opinion, be fabulous😉.) Thank you. xx
Thank you so much Karen. Hope you’re well. Things are as well as can be at the moment. Easing back gently. Really missed the connection with you and everyone else.
Take care
Kameela😍
Shannon, getting to this post late but how incredibly powerful. So true and so eloquently phrased. It expresses so much about my own life. On a hike yesterday with Scout, I was brought to tears by just pure joy of being in nature. I feel so thankful to have created a wonderful life for myself and all the joy it brings me. Have a wonderful week everyone.
Josanne,
I absolutely delighted in reading your comment. I am soooooo happy for you! Your awareness and appreciation make the everydays all the more amazing, and your ability to “see” and “know” how to savor it all is a great lesson for us to take note of. Thank you very much for your comment. 😌💛 And loves to Scout!🐾❤️