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I am reading a book that is like ordinary life, very simple and charming at the same time. Slow rhythm of stories and mindfulness calm us.

Kathryn Nicolai describes the usual situations that happen in our home and in the little town she called ‘Nothing like that‘. This dream town seems to me like Irish Galway, where I live. There is a nice bakery, bookstore, shop where you can buy lovely notebooks, favourite café. Last morning, when I went to take the pictures of this book, the streets of my city were full of birds songs, and the spring rays illuminated the colourful houses more intense. The peace of tiny lanes and details in the shop’s windows stopped me. As usual, I bought crusty, walnut bread in Le Petit Délice – French bakery. Later in front of the blue-yellow pub, I met a postman who had been dropping letters to the mailboxes from the very morning. We smiled to each other and exchanged ‘Good morning’. The postman waited for me when I take the title photo. Then he went far with the green big bad filled with parcels.

Nothing much happens – it is a book about such ordinary moments in our everyday life. About unfolding the blanket for a cat, following footprints in the deep snow, and revealing curtains to keep the sun on our face while washing up. Someone might say that is nothing, but Children have the power. They can watch simple ordinary things and see wonderful things – so written Kathry. I still have this looking at things.

Good night stories

When I was a little girl, my uncle, when he visited us, told a story about ‘A man who flew with his umbrella‘. After his death, when I was a teenager, I started to continue this story to other children. Today I still can see with the eyes of my imagination how this man flies on his umbrella. Kathryn Nicolai thinks that such stories, even if you talk to yourself before you go to bed, calm you and help to follow asleep. There are many tips in this book for a good night’s sleep. We can also find interesting recipes for warming drinks, sandwich spreads, soups.

Walking meditation

Under some of the stories, there are interesting meditation or other excercises to do. For example walking meditation. I know it well, but thanks to this proposal I started doing it again. I remember our walking meditation around the university campus. It was with a quite big group, we were walking very, very slowly. Some people were staring at us, but we had fun with intense attention to each step. In my life I become more and more convinced that ordinary breathing, sitting in the silence under a blanket, testing a favourite coffee, writing a letter to the friend, and just honestly being in the present moment – this is the true meaning of life, nothing more is needed. I can imagine that silver ball made from kitchen foil is a treasure to the cat he can run.

There is a time…

Therefore, during the time of a pandemic, I do not have a feeling of losing my life or freedom, I am not bored, even I worry as everybody can. But it is a rather a lesson of mindfulness for me. I would love to visit Connemara, or Wroclaw. But I also learn to accept what I have not what I can not have. Justa wrote about it beautifully on her blog: Do not except to much, listen the song of Busker and give him a chance.

This book is quite big and I read it slowly on the morning and on the evening. There is also a possibility to listen to more sweet, cozy stories in the podcast: Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai. The illustrations by French artist Léa Le Pivert also attract the attention. Thanks to them, we can better imagine the little town. There is also a map of this dream place. Nothing Happens is a great read and will calm your busy or scared mind. I recommend it to you with a heart!