Earlier today, I read an article from The Toronto Star, shared by a friend on Facebook. The article was a huge eye-opener for me — a paradigm shift — especially on this Autumn Equinox as we contemplate the wisdom grown and harvested since the Spring Equinox, and offer gratitude for that harvest.

The article — Steven Heighton: On hope and embracing the smallest life you can love — by Canadian poet and novelist Steven Heighton resonated with me on so many levels, especially how “living large” may not be the answer . . . or at least, not the answer for all! Perhaps that is something that has opened up for many of us during the COVID-19 lockdown and physical distancing protocols.

I too have coached or written about “living large” — not so much in the sense of “money money money” — but in the sense of standing large in one’s beliefs and values and living from that place, rather than diminishing one’s self or one’s worth. And I strongly believe that that aspect of living large does has value and meaning.

But the idea of embracing “the smallest life you can love” resonates on so many levels, and opens up other possibilities. Perhaps embracing “small” in a different sense — one that aligns us even more with our spiritual values — can be infinitely more fulfilling than living large as we focus on what truly matters in our lives:

• moving towards a simpler life, one with more time and connection to loved ones
• finding peace and contentment with solitary moments of reflection
• finding a simpler meaning and expression of beauty
• asking for only what we need rather than what we want
• finding that having “enough” is a balance that can ripple through our community (when some have so much, others have so little)
• finding happiness through connection and love and curiosity

I definitely need to ponder this some more. This truly is Soul Work!

Thank you, my friend, for sharing this article and giving me this morning’s “aha” moment!!! And thank you Steven Heighton for your insights!