Anais Nin rarely speaks of war in her Diaries, and when she does, she keeps it brief. In this entry of her Diary, it is New Year's Eve, and she has stayed up until 6:30 the next morning. She has a feeling that it could be the last night of drinking, dancing, laughing - the last night of pleasure, and she wants to make the most of it because tomorrow could be war and all the horrors that come with it - cannons, alarms, blood. She wants to drop the mediocre and create an extraordinary life.
Time is one of our precious commodities, and we seem to become aware of that fact only when it is threatened, whether by war or middle age or some other event. We want to have accomplishments, achievements, recognition, pleasures, a life worth having. We want to eliminate waste and the irrelevant and cut back to the essential. We realize it is now or never.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
November, 1936: Emotional Attitude
In a letter to one of her patients in New York, Anais Nin speaks of affinity between our emotional attitude towards life and towards love. She quotes Gide: "he can do nothing for the happiness of others who does not know how to be happy himself." She also distinguishes between joy which can be contagious though egotistical and happiness which is deeper and can be given without possessing it.
Anais is happiest whenever she conquers what blocks her and is able to create something in the end. The process of creation itself may not bring happiness; in fact, it can be full of anguish and pain, but working and creating gives strength.This emotional strength, a large part of which is emotional attitude, brings us happiness in life and love.
Happiness usually requires action, activity, not passivity. You may feel happy watching your favorite TV show, but my guess is, you would feel happier in the end if you spent time creating something: a carrot cake, a poem to your lover, a picnic, a handwritten note to your mom, a painting of your girlfriend's favorite place.
Anais is happiest whenever she conquers what blocks her and is able to create something in the end. The process of creation itself may not bring happiness; in fact, it can be full of anguish and pain, but working and creating gives strength.This emotional strength, a large part of which is emotional attitude, brings us happiness in life and love.
Happiness usually requires action, activity, not passivity. You may feel happy watching your favorite TV show, but my guess is, you would feel happier in the end if you spent time creating something: a carrot cake, a poem to your lover, a picnic, a handwritten note to your mom, a painting of your girlfriend's favorite place.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
October, 1936: Happiness
Anais Nin seeks the fairy tale. Around her, she sees Henry Miller as the celebrity after publication of his books, and she hears Gonzolo rant that neurosis is for the rich, a luxury; the poor are more concerned with putting bread on the table. A rehearsal for war takes place with airplanes simulating air attacks. Anais soaks it all in, is touched by everything around her. She feels happy but realizes it takes many things to make her happy, including the love of three different men.
What does it take to make me happy? Waking up naturally. Morning coffee. A long soak in a tub with bath salts. Walking outside in beautiful weather. Having someone to share experiences with and discuss life with. Solitude. Delicious food and drink. Getting enough sleep.What is happiness to you?
What does it take to make me happy? Waking up naturally. Morning coffee. A long soak in a tub with bath salts. Walking outside in beautiful weather. Having someone to share experiences with and discuss life with. Solitude. Delicious food and drink. Getting enough sleep.What is happiness to you?
Sunday, March 25, 2012
September, 1936: The Dream, the Houseboat
Anais Nin's dream comes true; she finds a houseboat. It was situated near the Quai d'Orsay and the Tuileries garden, but she moved it up near the Pont Royal. She describes it as homely on the outside and like an opium den on the inside. She fills it with the old furniture from Louveciennes. She intends to have grand and marvelous experiences from living out her dream on the houseboat. It is enchanting.
What a wonderful feeling to want something and dream of something for so long and finally have the dream come true. And after a while, that dream changes and is replaced by a new one. Dreams give us hope, and hope keeps us alive. It is a way of pursuing goals that are of the soul, challenging ourselves, developing our potential.
What a wonderful feeling to want something and dream of something for so long and finally have the dream come true. And after a while, that dream changes and is replaced by a new one. Dreams give us hope, and hope keeps us alive. It is a way of pursuing goals that are of the soul, challenging ourselves, developing our potential.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
August, 1936: Joy
Anais Nin says she looks tired, nervous, struggling to love in a world full of destruction. War is on the mind of everyone, and many have quit working, loving, living. Anais continues to write and do her housekeeping and tries to find or create joy in her life and the lives of others. She believes she can create life around her. She begins to look for a houseboat.
Anais is not the only one who is tired. Henry says, " I am getting old. I have no more desires." I think many of us get to a point in our lives when we feel like we've been everywhere, done everything we wanted to do and have a sense of "now what?" but can't think of an answer to that question. If we are like Anais, we will tap into our imaginations and longings and creativity and never lose hope as we continue to create joy in our lives.
Anais is not the only one who is tired. Henry says, " I am getting old. I have no more desires." I think many of us get to a point in our lives when we feel like we've been everywhere, done everything we wanted to do and have a sense of "now what?" but can't think of an answer to that question. If we are like Anais, we will tap into our imaginations and longings and creativity and never lose hope as we continue to create joy in our lives.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
July, 1936: Individually Perfect World
"We live on top of a crumbling world. The more it crumbles, the more I feel like asserting the possibility of an individually perfect world, personal loves, personal relationships, creation. I may be trying to place an opium mat on top of a volcano. The world in chaos. Panic. Hysteria."
So begins Anais Nin's diary entry from July, 1936, and how relevant it is today as we rebuild lost dreams. Anais believes the suffering of the world can be fixed not by mass movements but individually. She does not believe in politics but in art and creation and relationships.
It's like Stephen Covey's "circle of influence," where we focus our efforts on things we can do something about, things we have direct control over. Our efforts cause our circle of influence to expand, bringing it closer to our "circle of concern," those things we care about. By concentrating on what is important to us as individuals, we can create an individually perfect world.
So begins Anais Nin's diary entry from July, 1936, and how relevant it is today as we rebuild lost dreams. Anais believes the suffering of the world can be fixed not by mass movements but individually. She does not believe in politics but in art and creation and relationships.
It's like Stephen Covey's "circle of influence," where we focus our efforts on things we can do something about, things we have direct control over. Our efforts cause our circle of influence to expand, bringing it closer to our "circle of concern," those things we care about. By concentrating on what is important to us as individuals, we can create an individually perfect world.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
June, 1936: Living, Breathing, Loving
In this entry of her Diary, Anais Nin throws a housewarming party at her new place at 30 Quai de Passy.
She reflects on her trip to Fez, Morocco which she visited without her diary. She now feels able to breathe and love without having to say in her diary that she breathed, she loved.
Gonzolo tells her of the impact she is having on his life. When they met, he was drinking heavily, drifting, impoverished. Now, he drinks less and is deep into the world of politics and wants to live. He credits Anais with giving him this desire to live. What a wonderful feeling it must be to have such a positive influence on a person. Anais believes in giving help individually, not in masses, and wants to lessen the suffering in the world one person at a time.
Henry Miller's Black Spring comes out, dedicated to Anais.
She reflects on her trip to Fez, Morocco which she visited without her diary. She now feels able to breathe and love without having to say in her diary that she breathed, she loved.
Gonzolo tells her of the impact she is having on his life. When they met, he was drinking heavily, drifting, impoverished. Now, he drinks less and is deep into the world of politics and wants to live. He credits Anais with giving him this desire to live. What a wonderful feeling it must be to have such a positive influence on a person. Anais believes in giving help individually, not in masses, and wants to lessen the suffering in the world one person at a time.
Henry Miller's Black Spring comes out, dedicated to Anais.
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