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Quote of the Day: Mlle. Souvestre

November 24th, 2013

“Even when success comes, as I am sure it will, bear in mind that there are more quiet and enviable joys than to be among the most sought-after-woman at the ball or the woman best liked by your neighbor at the table, at luncheons and the various fashionable affairs.”

Mlle. Souvestre to Eleanor Roosevelt in a letter from Hazel Rowley Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage

I really love this quote, it’s amazingly true, and so against what mainstream culture tells us. Quiet and enviable joys, I’ve been working hard to cultivate these things in my life.
sunrise
cup_of_coffee_in_handmade_mug
grilled cheese and tomato soup
The sun coming up right in front of my kitchen window,
enjoying a simple meal with Mr Chiots,
a warm cup of coffee on a frosty morning,
a big wooly blanket on my bed.

What quiet and enviable joys are you loving this week?

13 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Mlle. Souvestre”
  1. Lemongrass on November 24, 2013 at 6:14 am

    My grandma and aunt and mother did lots of knitting, crocheting and sewing among other things, when I was growing up. I learned different things from each of them…………..over the year I have been to ‘the watering hole’. This weekend I will be hanging out with my niece and her friend crocheting and knitting, while we all enjoy a pot of veggie/split pea soup. They both thought themselves to crochet, so we are planning on making some shopping/beach bags.
    The next generation finding their place at the ‘watering hole’..

    Reply to Lemongrass's comment

    • Joan on November 24, 2013 at 7:58 am

      Hmmm, split pea soup… That might have to be on my agenda for today! Thanks for the idea.

      Reply to Joan's comment

      • Susy on November 24, 2013 at 7:52 pm

        I love split pea soup too, though mine always has a smoked ham hock in it :)

        to Susy's comment

      • Joan on November 25, 2013 at 8:42 am

        Susy, smoked paprika does fairly well as a smoked meat substitute. Not the same, but really quite good.

        to Joan's comment

      • Susy on November 25, 2013 at 1:38 pm

        I love smoked paprika, especially in omelets and oyster stew!

        to Susy's comment

  2. Adelina Anderson on November 24, 2013 at 6:57 am

    Working on a winter themed puzzle, sipping my coffee, planning all the crafts that my daughter wants to do (complete with glitter – hoping it will come out of the rug), and cooking. I love to cook with no interruptions. My happy place.

    Reply to Adelina Anderson's comment

    • Susy on November 24, 2013 at 7:53 pm

      I LOVE LOVE LOVE puzzles, can’t wait to get one out. Typically around here they emerge after Thanksgiving!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  3. Joan on November 24, 2013 at 7:56 am

    My morning routine – cup of warm chai, online news, and Chiots Run.

    Yesterday my 16 year old son Alex and I baked bread. Another simple joy.

    On this very cold day, I hope to make soup and spend some time enjoying the flames in the woodstove (of course, that’s in between all of my frigid outside chores, but I’ll bundle up and be doubly appreciative when I come inside!).

    Reply to Joan's comment

  4. Nebraska Dave on November 24, 2013 at 8:57 am

    Susy, the best quiet time ever for me is watching the world wake up starting about five in the morning on a summer day. As the horizon begins to get light the wild life starts stirring and waking up. For a few years a bird would sing to me as I woke up each morning but he/she is gone and I haven’t heard the song bird for a couple years. With a hot cup of coffee in my hand and sitting on the poor man’s living patio, the sun will creep up higher and higher. About seven o’clock the neighborhood will start to wake up. Cars will start and scurry out of the neighborhood with their occupants on the way to work.

    Second best is to watch the world go to sleep.

    Have a great quiet and enjoyable moment today.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

  5. whit on November 24, 2013 at 11:24 am

    My favourite moments in life lately are a Sunday walk with my hubbie (our date), snuggling in bed til 8am and reading to my darling daughter, homeschooling her (regularly doing math, grammar, and German lessons by the fire each morning now.) Being out in the greenhouse playing in the dirt like it was springtime during a pounding winter rain. Learning to quilt and make rag rugs on my winter’s agenda for the next few years.

    Reply to whit's comment

  6. Robin on November 24, 2013 at 8:06 pm

    I enjoy beginnings. The beginning of a day when I’m the only one awake in the house, the beginning of a season, or the beginning of meal prep while my brain is still sorting out the recipe – it’s all good.

    Reply to Robin's comment

  7. Maybelline on November 25, 2013 at 2:26 am

    Rain!

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

  8. kathie on November 27, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    Kicking back and enjoying a good book, while watching it rain/snow. Love it :-)

    Reply to kathie's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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