Charlotte Mason suggests keeping a Common place book. This book is where students (young and old) write down in beautiful handwriting quotes that they find inspiring, helpful.
Before I knew about Charlotte Mason, I was keeping a common place book. It wasn't all hand written quotes. Sometimes I would find a quote inspiring in a magazine or newspaper and cut it out and paste it in my common place book. Sometimes I would add a few words of my own narration about the book I was quoting. I have six beautifully covered (mostly spiral bound) common place books full of lovely wonderful ideas.
Sometimes in the past, I've returned to these books looking for a quote that inspired me and wanting it to awaken in me some of what once was...
Today I have been reading Strangers to the City: Reflections on the beliefs and Values of the Rule of Saint Benedict by Michael Casey.
"Leisure is not idleness or the pursuit of recreational activities. It is, above all, being attentive to the present moment, open to all it's implications, living it to the full. This implies a certain looseness in lifestyle that allows heart and mind to drift away from time to time. Monastic life is not a matter of shoehorning the maximum number of good works into a day. It is more important ...to do a few things well, being present to the tasks they undertake, leaving room for recuperation and reflection, and expecting the unexpected. Leisure allows openness to the present."