My Quiet Day

My quiet day...

Margaret Bligdon-Boyt is our Editor in Chief. Living Quietly Magazine was inspired by the lifestyle that she had to invent for herself after a stroke 2 years ago when she was only 46 and other people living similar lifestyles.

She lives with 5 of her 8 children. Adam 16, Samuel 12, Scarlett 10 and 2 of her adult sons who still enjoy free food and the services of the washing fairy.

As the inspiration behind Living Quietly Magazine, she is quite rightly our first interviewee.

My heart likes the noise of the people I love. My head likes the peace after they have gone!

How does your day start?

At this time of year the sun wakes me up at about 5:30, which gives me an hour or 2 before I have to wake the children for school. I take the time to ease myself into the day. I catch up with my reading, drink coffee and check my lists.

You talk a lot about lists and schedules, why are they so important?

It is important that I can visualise my day before it happens, I need to be prepared. Doing things on the hop just makes me anxious. Also if I am prepared and calm, I can create some wriggle room for small hiccups.

Do you use meditation as part of your Day?

No, I am terrible at meditation. If I am sat still I like to be reading a book or indulging my Netflix habit. Both are a way of clearing my head for a while. I also love to potter around the garden, that is very meditative. When I am in my garden, with my hands in the earth or picking what I have grown, I feel connected to the world in a way I never felt before.

What is a perfect day for you?

My perfect days are always centered around my children and grandchildren. Having said that, closing the door on my family after a perfect day is good too. My heart likes the noise of the people I love. My head likes the peace after they have gone!

What advice would you have for someone wanting to live more quietly?

As with anything in life, you have to do as much or as little as you are comfortable with. Quiet living is as much about creating peace of mind as it is about creating a quieter lifestyle. For instance, if you go to that posh restaurant after work just because everyone else is going and bugging you to go too - what happens? (A) that early night you need doesn’t happen and you continue being tired and run down. (B) you spend more money than you can really afford and spend the rest of the month worrying about your finances. (C) A + B = a restless mind and that has a knock on effect. Be realistic with the choices that you make and learn to say NO.

LIVINGQUIETLYMAGAZINE.COM | August/September 2018 | 7