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Gracious Living in a New World: How to Appreciate Each Day More |  |
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Gracious Living in a New World: How to Appreciate Each Day More | |
Is it easy to achieve such a life?
Definitely not.
Is it possible?
Absolutely, positively, certainly, yes.
Fans across the world are eagerly awaiting the October publication of Alexandra Stoddard's latest inspirational triumph, Gracious Living in a New World: Finding Joy in Changing Times. In today's world of modern conveniences (voice mail, electronic mail, facsimiles, etc.) the work day for most North Americans has not been shortened, as anticipated and promised by the creators of these technologies. In fact, the opposite holds true, with management often expecting that more work will be produced in less time. People today are juggling family responsibilities, jobs, and social obligations. In their haste to achieve it all, something is still lacking.
In Gracious Living in a New World, Alexandra Stoddard offers her ideas for achieving a gracious lifestyle. Her inspiration stems from the experiences she shared with her husband, Peter, when they moved from New York City to a little cottage in a tiny sea-side Connecticut village.
Alexandra Stoddard's message is positive and practical. It is also relevant to everyone. City-slickers and village dwellers alike will find relief and refuge amongst Alexandra's trademark colorful pages. But most importantly, readers will find the inspiration to live a gracious life.
Gracious Living in a New World covers an array of topics that are enriched with stories of Stoddard's own experiences in achieving a grace-filled existence. Personal anecdotes and family memories illuminate ways to find and extend grace in daily life. Some highlights include:
-- Redefining How We Want To Live: "Village life is rich in meaning because everything that happens within it is of consequence. A loss to one is a loss to all. In a city where life is busier, we can create this same continuity and community through loyalty in our daily interactions."
-- Reawakening Our Five Senses: "The competitive busyness of modern life often makes us feel cut off from our own sensual rhythms and appetites. But why vie with our neighbors when we can enjoy the grace of breaking bread with them?"
-- Expressing With Heart and Hand: "The one sure way I know to restore grace to my hectic life is to work with my hands. We can leave our highly sophisticated machines alone for a few hours a day, or even a few days a week, to allow ourselves to work with our hands."
-- Working With Grace: "Are you really spending your time, your most valuable asset, wisely? It's not the actual work we do, but the person we are behind the work. How we get along with our coworkers, how we treat our employees, is our essential nature, not how efficient we are or how rich and powerful."
-- Gracious Solitude: "Gracious living requires the sense of balance that solitude brings. We need solitude in order to draw ourselves inward for renewal."
-- Family Graces: "One of my great joys in family life is the wonderful way that we slip in and out of each other's days with grace, respect, and pleasure in each other's company. When we get all the parts to work in synchronicity, a family is like a well-orchestrated symphony that gently guides us forward along life's path(with lots of stops for nurturing love and connection along the way."
-- Celebrating With Grace: "Rather than worrying about the deadline and all the preparation you have to do, always remain aware that your intention is to celebrate, not to provide the best, most lavish of everything to impress people."
-- New Horizons: "The human connection is so important to gracious living. When we travel, we are always guests, and meet people on their terms. When people invite us into their homes or to visit the sights with them, their warmth and affection never fail to confirm my belief that people want to reach out to each other in kind and generous ways."
-- Let Us Live As Poets: "To live with grace today, despite the strain of modern life often causing us to act against our own nature, requires a steady vision. The poet sees everything, from the common to the rare, through a lens of wonder; there is an inner dynamic, a meaning in all things."
-- Ten Principles of a Gracious Life: Alexandra Stoddard's parting message is grace-filled and inspiring. Her ten simple principles are very familiar to the ear, yet so easily forgotten. "When we are naturally kind, we will be thought of favorably by others, and our kindness will induce an aura of happiness."
Alexandra Stoddard's path towards gracious living is not a cluttered one, nor does it require money or the addition of 'extra hands' around the house. In fact, the only obstacle in the search for a gracious life is one's own state of mind. Alexandra notes that the path is within yourself. Discovering the true pleasures in life and focusing on what really matters today are the keys to a grace-filled and rewarding life.
Alexandra Stoddard is a world-renowned interior designer and lifestyle expert who can reach and connect with any audience. She appears regularly on national television, and is known to Americans across the country through her appearances as a featured guest on shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Barbara Walters Show.
