Light and Space

What do you think when you see this photo? Is it a question of "What's Eileen up to now?" or "What a great idea to give the room more light and space!"  This is my latest project around the house and yes I always have one on the go... don't you?

Well it started with the chimney...

The chimney in this room had been blocked up, well before our time and there was a distinct problem with its ventilation... as in... it was growing stuff! and when "excavated" we found that all the rubble of the original chimney was piled up behind the wall. No bodies found fortunately, but there had been a definite lack of consideration for the house's future.

This got me to thinking... we have been in this house for over 17 years and I have no idea when the chimney stack was removed. However I do know that there are consequences to even the smallest endeavour. Any time we start a project we find this to be so true... and the original shoddy work and lazy workers had produced major long term problems... which fortunately we are now able to eradicate... but only by completely stripping out the rubbish and making a room that is full of light and space.

So folks... let's make room in our lives for more light and space and strip out the rubbish in our lives that is hidden behind our emotional walls. You know what I mean. Let's make eradicating all the stuff, all the shoddieness that we have chosen to conveniently forget about over the years, our project.... and not just think of this as a metaphorical story! Although I must say that I do love looking at life with my metaphorical glasses on... as even opening up a chimney breast gives an opportunity to enjoy another of life's lessons.
See you next month with a photo of the room completely transformed!
Ciao amici
Eileen

Dreams can come true!

Well... it was a few years ago when at a Tony Robbins event, I was asked what I really, really wanted to do with my life. At the time I was a Chartered Physiotherapist with a busy private practice and a life full of all the many things that a wife and mother does with her time. My answer was: "to have an Italian home that would be a working haven for guests who wanted to change their lives for the better, using the concepts and precepts of Yoga and Ayurveda". A working haven for me meant that it would pay for itself but also that people would recognise that working on themselves was a worthwhile venture.

I had no idea how this dream would come about... in fact, I really didn't know that I had that dream until asked! However I also got some great practical advice... what three things could I do to start the process? Well you have probably guessed it.
Firstly - visit Italy. At the beginning it was once a year and then it became once every three or four months. Now it seems to be once a month.
Secondly - enrol at an Italian class. Attending once a week and listening to CDs to acclimatise my ear to the melodic Italian language. Now it is going to school in Italy for a two week Italian course being held on the beautiful island of Elba.
Thirdly - visualise regularly the dream coming true... and lo and behold someone found me through the internet and offered me the opportunity to take yoga classes in Tuscany!

It's now time to reach out and let the dream happen. Thank you Tony and thank you Marcia, the lady who asked me the original question. The question I now pass on to you... what is it you really, really want to do with your life?