December 30th - Ithaka

 "As you set out in search of Ithaka

Pray that your journey be long,

full of adventures, full of awakenings.

Do not fear the monsters of old...

You will not meet them in your travels

if your thoughts are exalted and remain high,

if authentic passions stir your mind, body and spirit.

You will not encounter fearful monsters

if you do not carry them within your soul,

if your soul does not set them up in front of you."

- Constantine Peter Cavafy

Start Quote

Ithaka was the beloved island home of the legendary Greek hero, Odysseus...Odysseus roamed the world for ten years, having adventures, meeting challenges, and learning lessons that profoundly changed him.

Today an odyssey means a long, often exhausting, exhilarating and/or excruciating transformative journey. 

The search for authenticity is our personal odyssey.

As we move through our daily rounds on the Simple Abundance path...

what we are really seeking is the Ultimate Reality. 

We are seeking Ithaka...

I was inspirited to create a personal...adaptation of Cavafy's classic for women:

Pray that your journey be long,

full of many summer mornings

when with much pleasure and much joy

you anchor in harbors never seen before...

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.

Your arrival there is your destiny.

But do not hurry the journey at all;

be patient...

So that finally, when you reach this 

sacred isle, you will be a wise woman,

abundantly fulfilled by all you have gained along the way;

no longer expecting Ithaka to make you wealthy,

no longer needing Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka offered you the profound journey,

the chance to discover the woman you have always been.

Without Ithaka as your inspiration, you 

never would have set out in search of Wholeness...

End Quote

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Gratitude Journal

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1) Only one more day left in 2017! I'm so ready for 2018.

2) Chips and dip. And chex mix. And tuxedo brownies. And salsa. And artichoke jalapeño dip. Lots of dip. And like 10 bottles of sparkling cider. I hope you can make it to our get together tomorrow night, because I don't want to eat it all myself! Yum.

3) Naps. I love taking naps, and I love it when the kids take naps. And they needed two today, must be going through a growth spurt.

4) Taking  care of myself. Showers are pretty amazing.

5) Robbie officially finished part one of the laundry room. We added a rod to hold hangers and clothing while I iron, and added the last shelf below the hampers. Let me tell you, the whole house feels different. Probably because there isn't laundry everywhere. It is super hard trying now to use self control and not just do all the projects we want to do... Each project would probably cost somewhere between $100-500, or more! And definitely more than one full day (kid free to boot). Both of which we do not have in abundance.