The Way of the Warrior part 5.
Whats the ‘one thing’ you can’t be happy without?
What’s the ‘one thing’ that really makes you happy? Something so fundamental that just thinking about it can put tingles of excitement in your heart. Is your mind racing yet? Go to an Ed Shearan gig? Be as famous as Ed Shearan? Or are you just happy to buy the CD?
You see, for me, there has to be differing levels of ‘one thing’ and that’s a cracking example. There should be something you can do, and do, do, right now. Something part of your every day. Something that is achievable, if your put in a little effort, consistently. Something that is part of a longer, larger plan, a bigger scheme or vision and something that is so out there, it is a dream, however, if you don’t dream it, it can’t happen.
These ‘one things’ will be different depending on who you are. Our wants and needs will vary from time to time as age, ability and interests change.
For me, right now. The everyday ‘one thing’ that makes me happy, just with the thought is, being married to my wonderful wife. And all that she is. I am a lucky man. The ‘one thing’ that is achievable with a little consistent effort, I love to dance, and I know that with a consistent effort I can be reasonable at it and certainly good enough to be comfortable with people watching whilst I am dancing like nobodys watching. The ‘one thing’ that is a bigger task is that my business, the brands Simon Pollard and ‘simple life’ make enough money so that my wife and I have financial freedom.
And the ‘one’ that is really out there, Well I travel the world, with my wife when she can, mixing business with pleasure, giving talks and leading outdoor walk adventures whilst traveling through and visiting fantastic places.
What are the ‘one things’ that put the best value into your life?
Now you might be asking, ‘what has that got to do with my garden?’ Well that my friend is simple. Everything! Your garden should be the backdrop to everything that makes you happy right now, as well as possibly the backdrop for the future…
Let me explain…
My wife and I love the outdoors and we spend a lot of time in our garden. Not as gardeners, we are neither of us the most enthusiastic gardeners, but relaxing, chilling, reading and socialising. Sometimes at lunchtime, sometimes of an evening, and occasionally first thing, so there are places that suit the time of day and the time of year, sometimes you wish to be in the sun and sometimes you wish to be in the shade and we can also sit out if it is raining, one of our pergolas has a roof on it. We love flowers but do not want to spend our time gardening, so we have shrubs. A lot of shrubs, there’s always something in flower. There’s water too, and the sound of water. And with all this, we get insect life too, so the garden always feels vibrant and alive. This feeds us too.
I guess my garden is also a part of the now ‘one thing’ too then.
Dance. Well, I am getting better, I’ve been trying different moves and just freestyling a lot, also copying some of those amazing dancers on social media. I’m getting quite good at what I believe are called ‘polly pockets’. Well with my name…. So, what’s my garden got to do with that? Well with my sword, yep, I dance with a sword, I relish having both open and closed spaces to dance in. One of the ideas of dancing with the sword is to not make contact with anything. Its to help me be aware of what is around me, connect me to the world around me so I am eternally grateful that my garden has a combination of spaces to allow me grow as a dancer whilst being very aware of what is around me.
My Business, well my office is in the garden and weather depending, the doors are wide open. Wind is more of a problem than temperature in truth. If I can carry out the task at hand than I will go out into the garden to do it, again that natural backdrop enhances my life, stimulates my thinking and helps me work and chill to the best of my abilities.
Thus, may well also help me to achieve that ‘out there’ dream too.
We have a traditional connection to the outdoor world, it’s part of our DNA, our heritage. We are more alive with it’s cleansing properties flooding through our bodies, literally and metaphorically.
The outside, our gardens, our outside allow us to be who we were meant to be, they are happy to be moulded by us, for us, all they ask is that we tend and love that, that we create!
A designed garden allows us to grow and be who we are or should be. And if appreciated, will grow with us.
What’s the ‘one thing’ you can’t live without? And how will you organise your backdrop to support that ‘one thing?
Incidentally, if your wondering where parts 1 – 4 are, please follow the link to my other website https://simonpollard.uk/vlogs
Simon Pollard. Urban Countryman June 2023.
