Some out-of-print books of advice and information have been abandoned for good reason – perhaps for their out-dated data, awful social prejudice or even dangerous ideas. Yet many are worth picking up again, not least because reflecting on past follies prompts us to confront our own. There’s also the chance we’ll find a bright idea languishing even in the thickest thickets of historical hubris. And, of course, neglected books may still be full of delight and inspiration. With that in mind, here is a selection of four ideas from the advice lore of the past. Some seem familiar, some novel, some almost totally disguised by daftness. But, for me at least, each contains some small glimmer or bright gleam of wisdom.
Do you feel you’ve been remiss in meeting up with a friend lately? There’s little better than inviting a friend on a jaunt to brighten a grey January day. What’s more, if you’ve a fondness for pen and ink, you might indulge in the satisfaction of creating something by hand and resurrecting the charming art of invitation by letter. With any luck you’ll be rewarded by something like this model response from a guide to correspondence:
Dear Louie,
The idea is perfectly delightful. You know how much I have looked forward to the outing, but I really had begun to think that it would never come to anything. It would be great fun to lunch together at the Popular Café. Be sure you keep a good look out for me as I am so short-sighted. I shall wait in the hall. What an afternoon we shall have!
Yours always affectionately,
(The Complete Letter Writer by Arnold Villiers, London, c. 1942).
RELAX BODY AND MIND
The benefits of holistic exercise on both body and mind are manifold. But have you no truck with Yoga? Does Pilates appal you? Do you seek an alternative for which you don’t have to remove your heels? Then try Swinging! This gentle exercise claims not only to relax ‘both mind and body simultaneously’ but also – no doubt to the delight of Mary the letter-writer – to relieve eyestrain. There’s not the space to give details here, except to note that you should take your glasses off and close your eyes for periods. Also:
Swinging [fig. 4] should be done before a window and it will be noticed that as you sway, the window seems to move the opposite way to yourself. This opposite movement of objects directly in the foreground should be noticed and encouraged.
(Better Sight Without Glasses by Harry Benjamin, MD, London, 1967).
PLAY GAMES
If you’ve enjoyed entertaining the neighbours by swaying back and forth in your window, it’s a cheerfully small step to invite them round to play games. In our era of ubiquitous glowing screens and the relentless drive for productivity, it’s often hard to recall the vital importance of making our own fun, finding time to laugh and play together, and revelling in the truly daft just for the sake of it. So, in celebration of simple folly, here’s a game to abandon your dignity to:
Arrange a line on the floor – a chalk line or a tape pinned down. Get the players to walk along the line, each foot just in front of the other and on the line. Whilst doing this they must look through a pair of opera glasses turned the wrong way round. This makes the players lift up their legs in a most laughable manner.
LOVE THE COLDEST MONTH
And finally, when the parties are over, when frivolity grates, when all seems dark and cold, perhaps it’s time to take pleasure in stillness and silence, and find beauty in nature even in the dead of winter. In this light, two naturalists teach us to read the weather and welcome the frost:
When the sun goes down like a molten ball, its edge cut clean, as if it were bound by a metal rim, we know that a frost is falling. By morning every tree will be hung with a silver broidery, as fine and delicate a foliage as spring itself can offer.
Cathy Haynes is a faculty member of The School of Life.
Cathy,
I've enjoyed a lot the course "How To Read". It was very engaging and interesting. Highly recommended.
I couldn't resist on blogging about it. Hope you like it.
http://elianatomas.blogspot.com/2010/03/reading-is-very-personal-thing.html
Posted by: Space by Eliana Tomas | March 28, 2010 at 03:31 PM