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ERT - MINDFULLY FINDING PURPOSE AND MOMENTUM

Ert is that tiny spark within us that reaches out of the mess of daily life towards what is good, and towards what it is we most crave to be, do and love.

ERT - A SENSE OF PURPOSE OR MOMENTUM

As part of my exploration of my Word of the Year "Mindful" I've come across a few terms recently that have caught my eye. They're words that have depth and meaning to them, and they carry a little "something" that I'd like to incorporate into my own life. I've chosen five to explore further over March - which is my month of meaningful, mindful reflection.

The next word is one I remember from reading Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird a few years ago and being struck by Chapter 18 where she writes about "Ert". Ert isn't a word that I'd come across anywhere else, she explains that it's a term coined by marine biologist Lisa-Ann Gershwin, meaning the opposite of inertia....it's a sense of purpose or momentum.

She goes on to say...
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AMOR FATI - MINDFULLY EMBRACING ALL THAT HAPPENS IN LIFE

Amor Fati is used to describe a concept or attitude where one accepts and embraces all of life's experiences - including suffering and loss - as necessary and good.

MEANINGFUL AND MINDFUL WORDS

As part of my exploration of my Word of the Year "Mindful" I've come across a few terms recently that have caught my eye. They're words that have depth and meaning to them, and they carry a little "something" that I'd like to incorporate into my own life. I've chosen five to explore further over March - which is going to be my month of meaningful, mindful reflection.

The second of these words that drew my interest is a latin term "Amor Fati" - another term I'd never heard before, that resonated and gave me a perspective on how life has been for me over the last few years....
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EREMITION - MINDFULLY SEEKING SOLITUDE, PEACE, AND RENEWAL

Eremition refers to the intentional, often gradual, act of withdrawing from society to seek solitude, reflection, and personal renewal.

MEANINGFUL AND MINDFUL WORDS

As part of my exploration of my Word of the Year "Mindful" I've come across a few terms recently that have caught my eye. They're words that have depth and meaning to them that carries a little "something" that I'd like to incorporate into my own life. I've chosen five to explore further over March - which is going to be my month of meaningful, mindful reflection.

The first of these words that caught my eye is Eremition - a word I'd never heard before, but one that resonated and gives me a description of how life has been for me over the last few years....
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LIVING MY SUMMER MINDFULLY

Some small updates as I strive to be living mindfully through summer.

WHAT DID MY SUMMER TEACH ME?

I thought I'd do a little seasonal update on what living Mindfully looks like for me through the year ahead. This is my Summer look back over Christmas, January, and February. Lots of hot days, plenty of family time, a couple of big and small purchases, a fur-child update, a blogging milestone, and a great quote that appeared at just the right time.

I hope you'll find the time to have a little browse below....
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DREAMING SMALL DREAMS WHILE LIVING A SIMPLE LIFE

Finding contentment in small dreams, simple living, and a life of peace and quiet.

CHOOSING MY PERSPECTIVE

I think contentment and happiness both depend on our perspective. A friend shared an article with me recently about choosing what we focus on and the story we tell ourselves about our circumstances. It reminded me of the post I wrote many years ago about choosing our memories - we can choose to remember all the things we didn't receive, or we can put that aside and remember all the small joys that we experienced through childhood and into our adult years.

One of the biggest perspective choices I make is about how I see my small, quiet life....
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THE TIMELESS APPEAL OF CANDLES IN MODERN HOMES

Candles have remained a beloved feature of homes for centuries, valued for their gentle illumination, mood, atmosphere and comfort.

INTRO

Today on the blog I'm sharing a really interesting post on the benefits of candles in our homes, and why they're still such popular gifts today. I hope you enjoy this lovely collaboration and that it inspires you to light a candle and enjoy the scent and serenity...
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WHAT DOES BEING MINDFUL MEAN TO ME?

What does living mindfully in the present moment mean to you? Here's a few thoughts about how to achieve those mindful moments.

INTRO

Today on the blog I have a wonderful guest blogger joining me....Denyse Whelan. Denyse and I have been blogging friends for several years; recently she moved her blog over to Substack. She's taking a few week's break, but normally she writes there every week, sharing her journey of recovery from severe burnout and the lessons she's learning along the way.

I noticed recently that she wrote a great post about being Mindful (my Word of the Year for 2026) so it immediately caught my eye. (And if you have something on being Mindful that you'd like to share here, please email me and we'll make it happen). Denyse has very generously allowed me to share her original post, so without further ado, here is Denyse with what she's been learning about being Mindfully present in the "now".....
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SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT MINDFULLY LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME

Don't spend too much time worrying about the future or regretting the past - focus on mindfully living in the present.

CHOOSING TO BE MINDFULLY PRESENT

When I chose "Mindful" as my Word of the Year for 2026, I realized that it covers lots of different aspects of my life. One of the big ones for me is how to be present in the "now" and to not be re-hashing the past or over-thinking the future.

I'm slowly getting better at living one day at a time. Retirement has helped with that because sometimes I can't even remember what day of the week it is, I just flow along with whatever small commitments I have on the calendar, and let the rest of each day take care of itself. But, I still regularly catch myself thinking too far into the future or dwelling on what's happened in the past, so it's still good to remind myself to live in the present and here's a few quotes that have spoken to me recently...
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I WANT TO BE A "NOTICER"

Do you feel seen by the people around you? Do you turn your inner dialogue off long enough to listen when you're with a friend? Do you pause to notice the little things?

OWNING MY NOTICING

I love Ullie-Kaye's poetry (as you'd know if you've read any of my posts over the last couple of years since I discovered her writing). She often says what I'm thinking, but in a beautiful way that I could never pull together. A little while ago I read one of her poems that was about "noticers" and I realized that I'm a noticer - and that it's a good thing to be.

So, today I thought I'd tease that out a little and take some ownership of a quality that seems to be lacking these days - being a noticer....
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TEN REVEALING QUESTIONS AI ASKED ME ABOUT MYSELF

Have you ever been analysed by ChatGPT? If not, here's your chance.

AN ONLINE PERSONALITY CHALLENGE

Recently, as I was mindlessly scrolling Facebook videos, I came across one from Digital Laura where she shared a ChatGPT prompt that will give you some insights into yourself that you may or may not be aware of. Because I'm looking at ways to be more mindful this year, and because I'm still on the fence about all this AI stuff, I thought I'd toss myself into the experiment and see what the outcome was.

Laura gives us a prompt to type into whatever version of ChatGPT you use. Here's the prompt:
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