Author: TheSortingHouse

Hidden Talents

Sunset at L’Etang de Thau, Marseillan

“That’s why each one of us has unique talents, even if, for most people, these talents remain deeply hidden within them, waiting for nothing more than to be released and cultivated. Besides, discovering our talents is actually a way to discover our mission… Most people feel obligated to do the things they have always done, even when it doesn’t allow them to flourish. They even forbid themselves to listen to their deepest desires, persuaded that they will lead nowhere. When it is actually the exact opposite. It is not our superficial desires dictated by our society, but actually our deepest desires that are the clues to follow to advance along the path of our mission.”

“I’m inclined to believe that each one of us has a destiny, indeed, it would be a shame to let that pass by…now I’m not necessarily saying that it involves any grandiose mission. It could be something more humble, but it is often that which appears anodyne that really counts in the world you know. We have a tendency to think it is the great leaders that have forged the course of history. In reality that’s not always completely true. Everyone, by their actions, by their speech, their state of being and emotions, influence their entourage, and that then spreads just like undulating waves across the surface of water. Inevitably. Nothing is neutral…the reality is each one of us has an impact on the world. So when we have found our particular mission, we have a role to play, a role that is useful to humanity, to living things, to the universe.”

extracts from ‘Le jour où j’ai appris à vivre‘ by Laurent Gounelle – ‘The day that I learned to live’ quote unofficially translated by Natacha Neveu @thesortinghouse.
Lac du Salagou, Cirque de Mourèze

Satisfaction in Sobriety

“Naturally, it is not a question of advocating misery, but of inventing a new frugality which, today synonymous with deprivation, could become a source of satisfaction. Take part actively in the future, reclaim our choices, stop cooperating with the system that is crushing us: there is a challenge and pride in finding this form of sobriety. It is not easy of course. To be satisfied with what one needs – or with a real desire, not one conditioned by advertising and the latest trends – is a real discipline in a system where one is ordered daily to earn more to buy more and thus fuel sales and the profits of shareholders in large companies.”

Corinne Morel Darleux – ‘Plutôt couler en beauté que flotter sans grâce‘ ‘Better to Sink Beautifully than Float Without Grace’ quote unofficially translated by Natacha Neveu @thesortinghouse.


“il ne s’agit naturellement pas de prôner la misère, mais d’inventer une nouvelle frugalité qui, aujourd’hui synonyme de privations, puisse devenir source de satisfaction. prendre une part active à l’avenir, se réapproprier ses choix, cesser de coopérer avec le system qui nous broie: il y a du défi et de la fierté à retrouver dans cette forme de sobriété. ce n’est pas simple bien sûr. se contenter de ce dont on a besoin – ou une réelle envie, non conditionnée par la publicité et le dernier cri – est une vraie discipline dans un système où l’on est quotidiennement enjoint à gagner plus pour acheter plus et ainsi alimenter les ventes et les profits des détenteurs de parts de grande compagnies.”

Corinne Morel Darleux – ‘Plutôt couler en beauté que flotter sans grâce‘

Cathar Carcassonne

The Cité of Carcassonne was founded during the Gallo-Roman period, over its 2,500 years of history the town has changed hands from Visigoths to Saracens and Crusaders… Around the 11th century, Catharism developed in parts of Europe as a result of teachings from the trade routes of the Byzantine empire (Cathars were a Gnostic group of Christians that opposed the Catholic doctrine and had the notion of a dualist faith, they identified as Les Parfaits, literally meaning ‘The Perfects’ or Good-men and Good-women).

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Are You Afraid to be Alone?



In such an overstimulated society, we often search for constant distraction. Spending our time and energy on the consumption of things that are ultimately destroying us, and our home.

We have lost the simple pleasure of feeling the wind in our hair and the sun on our skin. We are ignorant to the wonders that exist underwater, deaf to the birds fussing in the branches and blind to the beauty nature offers us every day for free.

Take some time to be with yourself in nature, no distractions.


“…fear not the unknown, for today was the future only a moment ago.”

We Are Nature

Eighteen thousand discoveries of new aquatic species in one year!

According to the GoodPlanet Foundation,

“In 2011 we discovered almost 18,000 new species across the world: sharks, turtles, multicoloured sea slugs”

Check out @theeyeofthediver for some amazing macro shots of incredible sea slugs and other sea life in the Mediterranean.

We must do everything we can to protect this life, discovered or not, and our oceans from further pollution. We can create less waste, eat less *intensively produced* meat and meat substitutes, stop eating fish that hasn’t been caught by our own efforts, buy everything locally, find a passion for upcycling and second-life-ing, and educate ourselves on why the oceans and all their mysteries are important to our lives. We will only thrive, evolve further and discover deeper truths about our origins in doing so.

For without this underwater life we would have no air to breathe, no temperature regulation, no healthy seafood to eat, no greenery and no overground life. The ocean holds the key to so many of our questions and problems.

The ocean is our lifeblood. We must keep it clean, biodiverse, thriving and healthy if we are to continue humanity in comfort. Strive to reconnect with that which makes our lives possible, evolve consciousness to see beauty instead of fear, indifference or annoyance and judgement.

We are nature, to do anything other than protect it would be to deny and destroy our true selves.

Bad Blow Job


Ok, let’s get real. Balloons blow.

A good balloon is a balloon that doesn’t exist. Manufacturers are yet to develop a balloon that doesn’t wreak havoc when it is disposed of or lost accidentally.

Even the new “biodegradable” ones are dangerous, they do NOT decompose naturally, and they DO go on to pollute our environment, drinking water and food for years.

Call me crazy, but I’m not sure that the few moments of perceived enjoyment a piece of plastic with old gas in it can bring, is worth the lifetimes of consequences on our future.

Enough is enough, it needs to stop. Even if we ended production, selling and buying balloons today, we would still have the results of decades of balloons and their purposeful and accidental releases in our environment. An immediate stop in production will allow us to eradicate what is still in nature, so that it may establish the necessary balance once again, and nature (that humans are dependant on) can continue to thrive.

You might be thinking there’s no harm done for one little party, you love nature and are respectful, you always throw your rubbish away properly, and would never release balloons accidentally or on purpose. Yet it is already well documented how our governments and local authorities are mismanaging our waste.

We must therefore avoid creating more waste in the first place. It’s the only way to really make a personal difference. If you don’t buy it, they won’t keep making so much of it. At least not in the same way. Change is possible only if we demand it. We create change, not the other way around. It’s us the leaders, and we have the buying power to shape this commercial world. The ball is in our court.

So take responsibility for the place you occupy in the world, and be proud of what you leave behind. Decorations for parties don’t have to be “boring” without balloons. Love is not a disposable piece of plastic. The internet is an amazing resource, hello Pinterest, use it for low-waste party ideas!

Search #ZEROWASTE alternatives, get your family, kids and friends involved, recycle old decorations, upcycle old household items, get unified and get creative!

The only limitation you have is your own imagination.
🙃

#oceanprotectionfrance #1pieceofrubbish

Lions Eat Meat…

“There is an incredibly high social pressure within our collective conscience (to have certified qualifications, own an apartment, get a car, married by 30, make babies, buy a house, make a decent salary…).

We are made to believe that this is the best life. It’s an ideology, that of money. We talk constantly about the economy. However, in my opinion, what we call “economy” is legal predation. To make money, we destroy life.

Whether it is the whales, elephants or forests, it is all pseudo-economy. Humans are the only species playing a false note in the symphony of nature. Once we have squandered everything, polluted everything, degraded everything, we will realise that money cannot be eaten.

Certain people say that our overconsumption is due to the laws of survival of the fittest, the rules of the jungle. Yet if I was an animal, I’d be pretty pissed off at being compared to humans, as every other species functions in harmony with the rest.

A lion doesn’t stockpile antelope to sell to his mates. The lion takes just what he needs and doesn’t trouble nature’s symphony. Mankind accumulates, wastes, and is even taught that’s where happiness resides.”

Pierre Rabhi

Quote from ‘Graine’ by La Relève et La Peste unofficially translated by Natacha Neveu at @thesortinghouse.

It’s time to wipe out that broken record, rewrite the script, make a change.

Forbidden Rice

Riz noir de Camargue (organic and local).


Black rice aka forbidden rice was known in China as the Emperor’s rice because it was apparently kept from the lower classes. It’s extremely high in anthocyanins due to its dark hue, which means amazing nutritional value and antioxidants! 👌

I’ll be honest, I do actually prefer Asian rice but I don’t really like the idea of my food travelling the world to get to me. Nor do I appreciate long production and distribution chains where numerous abuses to people and planet are often hidden for greedy profits. For a few years now I’ve been trying to reduce my consumption of imported products for this very reason.

Camargue is known for its white horses and pink flamingoes but is also a rice-growing region here in France. This means I have a choice to avoid unnecessary and overly polluting distribution in buying locally grown rice.

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Sixty-Five Feet Under

* The story about this picture can be found at the end of the post.

The first time I donned a wetsuit in my life was in Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the morning of my first ever diving lesson to become a certified SSI Open Water Diver. I’d never tried scuba diving before and it had been years since I’d even snorkelled. Obviously, I was pretty apprehensive prior to jumping feet first to get licensed in the big blue at 20 metres depth (65 ft -ish).

Sure I was scared, but that wasn’t going to stop me. Amazed by the energy of the sea after growing up on the coast, I’ve always felt the call to go deeper. We may have once emerged from the primordial waters of our planet but the world that exists just under the surface has become completely unnatural for humans. Exploring this vast watery universe in some way with scuba diving had been something that intrigued me since a young age, so why would I stand in my own way?

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