This reflection on September is rather delayed as illness once again visited our house. We’re emerging out of it now, though to my slight dismay this seems to involve more opening of email inboxes rather than actually venturing outside. Something has perhaps gone a little awry there.

Perhaps fittingly then, I found this article about the last generation to remember life before the internet an interesting read, in particular the notion that “One of the things that concerns me about a media diet that is overly online, is that we lose the ability to decide for ourselves what we think about who we are.” I’ve been thinking about this in conjunction with this gem from Dave Eggers’ advice for leading a life of creativity: “Asking for permission to create is the death of the soul.”  Together, these remind me that while our lives should not be lived in isolation, there is a role for autonomy, for reclaiming permission and identity from likes and follows. We can be our own permission givers, if we chose to.

I recently discovered and delved into A Playful Day’s podcast on making, creativity, seeking the playful moments in the every day. From Kate’s thoughtful introductions to her song choices to close, these podcasts are entirely refreshing.

In recent years we’ve thought more about distinguishing the seasons rather than slipping from one to the next unthinkingly. This Seeds and Stitches blog post inspired me as we prepared our own garden for the autumn season, and investigated the crop from our first proper growing season (more on that for a future blog post).

Before illness paid us a call, we carved out a routine involving cameras, wellies and the sea every Saturday. A combination that inspired and rested us. I made my first proper foray back in to film photograph and am enjoying the suspense in still awaiting the results.

Finally, I stumbled across a blog post about picking your battles and what happened when Victor met Beyoncé the five-foot metal chicken. In amongst our efforts at intentional, considerate living it’s good just to laugh out loud sometimes. A little lightness goes a long way.

This is part of a monthly series on the things that spur me on to keep going with intentional living. What has spurred you on recently?

Today’s soundtrack: The Postal Service // Give Up