"Buddhism is not a belief system. It's not about accepting certain tenets or believing a set of claims or principles. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It's about examining the world clearly and carefully, about testing everything and every idea. Buddhism is about seeing. It's about knowing rather than believing or hoping or wishing. It's also about not being afraid to examine anything and everything, including our own personal agendas . . . The message is always to examine and see for yourself. When you see for yourself what is true—and that's really the only way that you can genuinely know anything—then embrace it. Until then, just suspend judgment and criticism. The point of Buddhism is to just see. That's all . . . An ordinary person is simply one who is not awake in the moment; a buddha is a person who is. That's all." —Steve Hagan, author of Buddhism Plain and Simple: The practice of Being Aware, Right Now, Every Day

To be fully human and see the humanity in all others. To have compassion for all sentient beings, understanding that they too experience all of the senses and are capable of emotions. This way of walking through life, engaging with it subtly, yet powerfully, infusing both our daily life and others, with the ability to be and express our full and most capable selves, is to live with awareness. To see and engage fully without expectation or harm.

For example, one of the ladybird's gifts is their appetite for many pests in the garden, effectively being a natural pest deterrent; the talent of bees is to disperse pollen which plays a crucial role in the entire food production chain; and as we consider any human on earth throughout history who gives of their talents that further contributed positively to the world. These brave and determined souls, without each one, the world would not be as we know it today.

When we celebrate the humanity of one another, we set each other free to discover the treasures we each uniquely have within us. Then it is each individual's job, at times daunting, but most primarily exhilarating, to share with the world what we have realized is our dharma - what we can uniquely share with the world that also energizes us while we engage in the giving.

There is much confusion about what Buddhism is, and unlike what many Google searches will retrieve when we try to figure it out, it is not a religion. The Dalai Lama himself states it most directly, “Buddhist teachings are not a religion, they are a science of the mind.” In other words, it is an approach to understanding our own mind, NOT being told what to think nor HOW to live concretely. Rather the concepts of Mindfulness, Awareness, Compassion, Appreciation and Courage are many of the fundamental skills, which are also the core concepts of cultivating a life of contentment, a simply luxurious life.

Tune in to discover more about how Buddhist psychology cultivates an everyday life of contentment.

Find the Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast403

“France is Europe’s most diverse, tasty, and exciting country to explore. It’s a cultural bouillabaisse that surprises travelers with its varied, complex flavors.” —Rick Steves

The rain in Bretagne/Brittany. The dry hot heat in Provence. The bustle of Paris. The butter in Normandy (and Brittany). I could go on and on about the specialty delights and signature details in each of the many regions of France because as many of you know who have had the special opportunity to spend time on the terra firma of France, France is full of wonder and deliciousness to savor. To have only remained in Paris is to have seen just one gorgeous, yes, indeed magnificent spectacle at the Olympics, so to speak. When we travel beyond the capital, we further deepen our appreciation for a country, as Rick Steves notes above that is diverse, tasty and exciting in ways unique to each region.

Having just returned from my seventh trip to France, three of which gave me the opportunity to spend a great deal of time in four different regions of France, each time I visit I am reminded why the French culture resonates so sincerely with both my temperament but also my predilections as it pertains to passions and approach to daily life.

Over the years here on TSLL I have written many posts sharing lists of what France has taught me, so I will refer you to those at the end of today's post as I will try not to repeat myself here today. No doubt all of those lessons remain present with each visit, but I want to share the new ahas that were unearthed on this particular trip taken just this past March for over two weeks - one week in Paris and one full week in north Brittany.

Let's dive right in.

Explore the full Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast401

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When beginning this journey back in September 2022, I never imagined I would feel comfortable speaking French without thinking too far ahead of myself nor caring if I spoke incorrectly (which is still quite often), but two and a half years later, it has happened!

Imperfect French is being spoken and the fundamentals are more confidently understood than ever before. Wahoo!

While having attempted to take a French language class here and there over the past two years beginning when I was 20 back in college, I never made it past the 103. It took me three attempts, but finally, I made it all the way to completing FR 204 with the instruction of Washington D.C.'s Alliance de Française.

Back in September 2022 I enrolled at the very beginning yet again, and told myself that B1 completion was my goal, so finishing FR 204. As I shared in episode #349, in part four of this series, “On ne comprend jamais tout à fait une langue avant d’en comprendre au moins deux.” And finally, the phrase rings more true than ever. To learn a second language, if one doesn't know well their first, is to more fully know their primary language well. And appreciate their knowledge of it as well. Humility is a muscle strengthened while stumbling over the rules of a new language and not being able to speak near as well as a toddler in the language you wish to know.

So with my humility taken to the workout gym regularly twice a week, every week (minus the two week and annual four-week break between courses), attempting to speak French is no longer fearful, but absolutely not perfect. However, as my instructor for the past three courses reminded us repeatedly, practice, practice, practice. That is how we acquire into our long-term memory a language, by using, however, imperfectly from time to time.

And so on February 13th, just over a month ago, I celebrating concluding FR 204.

What I would like to share with you today are the key lessons learned during FR 203 and FR 204 as our last part of this series - part huit - covered up through my FR 202 class conclusion.

Tune in to the episode to discover the 12 things I Learned in French Class So Far . . . , Part Neuf.

Explore the detailed Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast400

There is an awareness available to anyone who steps fully into their forties. It often happens a couple of years after turning the big 4 - 0, but it's there, waiting for each of us to realize we are half-way through (if we are so fortunate to live into our 90s) this beautiful gift called life.

This awareness prompts courage and discipline as well as motivation to just get about the business of living out the dreams we may have been too timid to try in our earlier years. We begin to see that taking care of our health is more than worth the investment. We begin to know that loving fully is the best thing to do for our life enjoyment even though we also know there will be great pain in the goodbye. That goodbye is a privilege only the brave experience by being wholly vulnerable, kind and truly giving of their true selves and accepting others as theirs.

The leaning is a good thing because we see over the handrail of life that we are fortunate to have this vantage point and we are not going to toss aside the wisdom gained along the way.

The leaning is both a gift and a motivator.

This year, as I celebrated my 46th birthday on the tail-end of February, I wanted to continue to the annual tradition of sharing what I have learned during the past twelve months. May it inspire you embrace life even more fully and bravely than you already are and enjoy each day all the more.

Explore this episode's Show Notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast399

"Taking back your power means reclaiming responsibility for your life. It means demanding more of yourself because time is ticking, and you've wasted enough of it worrying about things that don't matter. It means being laser focused on the things you can control, and not giving a single second to the things you can't . . . Let Me create a better life. A life that makes me proud. A life that makes me happy. A life where I use my precious energy to enjoy every single moment I will have . . . all it takes is two simple words: Let Me." —Mel Robbins, from her latest book The Let Them Theory

Let me.

With good reason, the first phrase of Mel Robbins' new book has been becoming commonplace, but as readers read the book, they begin to realize that if we only apply the Let Them theory to our lives, our lives will not change. It is the follow-up phrase, the action phrase that is Let Me that carries the magic that will change our lives should we brave enough to embrace it.

Many of the lessons shared throughout the book overlap what is shared here on TSLL and how to live a life of contentment, a life in which we take responsibility for what is in our control and let go of what is not. Easier said than done, so it is always helpful for many different teachers with their different approaches to extol the importance of this life transforming truth for living well, to finding peace in our days and fulfillment throughout our life journey.

In today's episode/post, we're going to explore what Let Me looks like in our everyday life, and if what is shared speaks to you, I highly recommend you picking up The Let Them Theory book, Mel Robbins book that was released on December 24, 2024.

~Find the Show Notes for this episode on The Simply Luxurious Life blog — https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast398

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, an annual holiday to celebrate love, those we love in all its different relationship forms, it can be helpful to be reminded that love doesn't have a hierarchy. One type of relationship be it a friendship, a spouse, a parent/child, a pet companion, a universal love for humanity, self-love - isn't more or less important, but merely other avenues of giving and receiving love. Love, when it is true, comes in a variety of forms. Shared in this post back in October about unconditional love, Andy Puddicombe reminds, “The very definition of unconditional love is it is not dependent on anything or anyone. So to experience unconditional love, we don’t necessarily need to be with another person. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy being with another person, but we don’t necessarily need them to experience it.” Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh wrote in his book How to Love, "In true love, you attain freedom.” He goes on to teach us that “To love is to recognize; to be loved is to be recognized by the other.”

In my own life, one that the zeitgeist would label as 'being single', I have let go of the narrow perspective of how to welcome love into my life as well as give love to the world. Once I began to do this with more awareness and understanding, I began to feel more love and also be more loving without expectation to others and to myself in how I nurtured my everyday life and supported my dreams. I set myself free to trust my life journey, and it has made a powerfully positive difference to the quality of my life. But, and this is why I share today's episode/post, this is not to advocate for being single or to enjoy being single until . . . [whatever it is the culture we find ourselves approves or applauds].

When we let ourselves be labeled in such a way - married, single, divorced, widowed - it becomes cement that prevents us to live fully and partake in whatever life dance we choose to attend, for however long we choose to partake. Because the reasons for choosing the life we discover is most nourishing for our true selves will be unique to each of us, and cannot be fully understood by the outside world, not even those close to us in absolute entirety.

In today's episode we'll explore four ways to understand what a life of love is and how it is invited into our life.

Explore the show notes on The Simply Luxurious Life blog - https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast397

"The confidence to dare to be simple." —Monty Don

To be simple is to knowingly let go of what is not necessary and wisely keep, nourish and invest in what is.

Gardens in many ways are a wonderful analogy for living well because they take time to mature into their full potential, and it isn't guaranteed that they will, but if they do, it is because the gardener had the foresight, patience and clarity to know what would be of value to invest in today.

Albert Einstein is attributed with saying, “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.” To know where that line is, because it will be different for each of us, is to know ourselves as well as understand the pressures of the world with keen awareness and insight. Such knowledge takes time and conscious effort to gain.

In daring to be simple, we bet on ourselves, care for ourselves and without guarantee, invest in what is harmonious to our ear, letting it become a priority while not be distracted or drained by the rest.

On the category page in TSLL's archives for all of the Simplicity themed posts, I share that “The value of True Simplicity is that it fully lets the light in so that you can see and explore the depths of a life’s full gifts and beauty.”In more concrete terms, is the condition or quality of being easy to understand.

As it pertains to living well, when we understand how to live our lives well, making decisions becomes far easier because of our gained clarity about what nourishes us and the life that we wish to live.

In today's post/episode, let's explore how we dare to be simple in such a way that enhances the quality of our lives. How does it show up? What does it look like? What behavior, mannerisms, ways of life embody being simple to the degree that exhibits living with contentment?

Explore the Show Notes on TSLL blog: https://thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/podcast386