Neglected Home
Map
Map
Story & Experience
The magic is working and has spread all the way to my most wounded place—the place where I live and which I am transforming into my home. I had two Australian girls saying with me last night and in the process of getting the house ready for them I ended up literally throwing the clothes which needed to be ironed, the paperwork I have had on my kitchen table for months and other stuff into the room that is my “don’t want to go in there room”. I have had no joy whatsoever from this ugliness.
After the girls went into Dublin, I sat in the room on the floor and did Bryon Katie’s work. I realised very quickly that I was being so critical and full of hatred for the messy, disorganised places in me. I used her turn-around to realise that I am proud of me, and that that is true, despite or maybe because of the wounded places in me. I sang out loud a hymn I learned when I made my first Holy Communion when I was six years old: “Give me joy in my heart / keep me praising.” Then I realised that my bum was sore and maybe I should get a cushion to suit on. That was the breakthrough point. I suddenly realised that all I needed to do was too closed to be more comfortable. I burned incense I bought when I visited Mother Madras on Germany treetop years ago. I lit a candle, brought flowers into the room, did some shedding, moved my clothes back into the kitchen and I am about to iron, with beautiful music playing. My iPod is on shuffle and has played joyful music from the secret garden, Jupiter from “The Planets”, Bach and now Grieg “Morning” is playing. For the first time in so long I do not feel useless, overwhelmed, exhausted. Today is one of the few Saturdays which I have spent in my home in six months and the only one in which I am not entertaining. I am being blessed with a sense of peace.
Today is about my discovering radical joy in my wounded places rather than working to tidy and fix so that I can achieve, tick the boxes and prove that I have been good. I don’t know how different my home will look by this evening but I am so grateful to feel joy.
The magic is working and has spread all the way to my most wounded place—the place where I live and which I am transforming into my home. I had two Australian girls saying with me last night and in the process of getting the house ready for them I ended up literally throwing the clothes which needed to be ironed, the paperwork I have had on my kitchen table for months and other stuff into the room that is my “don’t want to go in there room”. I have had no joy whatsoever from this ugliness.
After the girls went into Dublin, I sat in the room on the floor and did Bryon Katie’s work. I realised very quickly that I was being so critical and full of hatred for the messy, disorganised places in me. I used her turn-around to realise that I am proud of me, and that that is true, despite or maybe because of the wounded places in me. I sang out loud a hymn I learned when I made my first Holy Communion when I was six years old: “Give me joy in my heart / keep me praising.” Then I realised that my bum was sore and maybe I should get a cushion to suit on. That was the breakthrough point. I suddenly realised that all I needed to do was too closed to be more comfortable. I burned incense I bought when I visited Mother Madras on Germany treetop years ago. I lit a candle, brought flowers into the room, did some shedding, moved my clothes back into the kitchen and I am about to iron, with beautiful music playing. My iPod is on shuffle and has played joyful music from the secret garden, Jupiter from “The Planets”, Bach and now Grieg “Morning” is playing. For the first time in so long I do not feel useless, overwhelmed, exhausted. Today is one of the few Saturdays which I have spent in my home in six months and the only one in which I am not entertaining. I am being blessed with a sense of peace.
Today is about my discovering radical joy in my wounded places rather than working to tidy and fix so that I can achieve, tick the boxes and prove that I have been good. I don’t know how different my home will look by this evening but I am so grateful to feel joy.
RECENT STORIES
Regeneration at the Buffalo River
For our second year, our Global Earth Exchange brought together members of Lynda’s longstanding Active Hope group and family and friends inspired by Radical Joy’s ethos and practice, to observe the Summer Solstice with new[...]
Listening to the Sawkill
Solstice Saturday, June 21, in Woodstock, NY, eight of us gathered in the woods along the banks of the stream where we were headed a shortways upstream to the site of an ancient handbuilt dam[...]
Earth is sacred, whatever its state
The "Earth Matters" ministry of Irvine United Congregational Church hosted this event early on Sunday morning. It was new and we were pleased that four of us showed up. We had originally planned to have[...]