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While outside in the garden yesterday evening, after a day of drizzle that the newly burgeoning plants happily drank up, I spied the Lady Jane tulips nestled amongst the candytuft (seen in the photo to the left). For the first time, after 4-5 years of being planted amongst one another, they are beginning to complement each other well and are more plentiful in their blooms than ever before. 

This got me thinking about how support for each other, specifically others not intimately part of our household or chosen intimate relationships, plays a nourishing role in our daily life. Simply their presence, their being themselves, healthy, strong, and kind during a singular moment that happens either regularly or infrequently, but not directly planned or extended beyond said event, lifts others up, and similarly, we do the same for them. In this portion of the garden, the Lady Jane tulips, while beautiful on their own, are situated next to the white blooms of the candytuft, which accentuate their white even further. And vice versa, the candytuft's small petals become all the more appreciated juxtaposed with the tulips' long petals. Neither is dampened; instead, both are elevated. Yet, they are singularly blooming on their own.

A similar experience happens in yoga class, when surrounded by fellow yogis, each strong, seasoned, and looking for an hour of focused movement and breathwork. The energy in the room due to the presence of each person lifts me to hold my pose a bit longer, breathe more deeply, and stay fully present in the community of these inspiring folks. Many of whom I do not know their names, and the few I do are acquaintances whom I genuinely care about, yet we each live our own lives separately, only crossing paths when we attend a class.  

These types of relationships were part of a paper written by Stanford sociologist professor in 1975, Mark Granovetter, PhD, who coined the term 'weak ties'. The term is a misnomer in the sense that the connections we make with people in our daily life - our fellow yogis, our neighbors, the cheese monger at our favorite market, the baker, familiar faces seen (and their pups too) on our regular walking paths - have been proven to strengthen our well-being; however, I understand his choice of words. In the latest This & That post (March 27th), a book is included that explores both why small talk with strangers can add to a big life and how to do it. 

The support we feel simply by being in the presence of people we recognize that have similar interests and intentions for the task we have gathered to meet and complete, or how we enjoy a portion of our day, is uplifting in so many ways. And by being aware of others' presence, valuing the community we choose to be a part of, and contributing in our own way simply by showing up and being ourselves without expectation, all the while being aware of others, saying hello or simply keeping our 'things' near our mat and out of their way, we acknowledge their presence and this is noticed even if not verbally acknowledged. Our many 'mini' communities sprinkled throughout our week, our days, our life, have the capability of enriching our life if only we choose to see them and appreciate them. A simple task for each of us, and the dividends can be quite awesome. 

In many ways, albeit uniquely its own due to an international reach, TSLL is such a community of 'weak ties'. Each TSLL reader and member goes about their life, cultivating it in such a way to nourish themselves and those they love, yet when you choose to stop by, you are giving something that nourishes others you may never meet or even speak to. Simply by bringing your presence, you are visiting a space each person knows to be a place of respite, a place of inspiration, a wellspring from which to sprinkle something you seek into your life that nourishes it, and you, too, are part of why such peace is experienced. Thank you for contributing in whichever way you are. 

On that note, as a way to provide even more clarity about when and what you can look forward to on TSLL, a new page was created - TSLL's Posting Schedule (find it under 'Start Here' in a dropdown menu on the menu-bar at the top of the blog). Detailing by day, week, and season the content you can expect, visit this page at any time to know what you will find when you visit The Simply Luxurious Life (visiting this page does not count toward your two free posts per month 😌).

Now, to the monthly newsletter, to get you caught up on all that has been shared on TSLL.co this March. Have a most wonderful final day of the month!

Bonne journée !

—Shannon