I remember when I first left my career to stay at home with my children and I decided to start a garden. I got so caught up in "success" (which was to me, enough veggies to eat and preserve) that it became stressful rather than calming. A nice salesperson at a garden store picked up on my anxiety and said to me "There are no mistakes in gardening, only growth." That really helped. After that I realized that even if I never grew enough to can for the winter, the fact that my kids saw my sugar snap pea trellis as an outdoor snack bar and I that was connecting with nature was enough.
The hard truth I'm currently learning to accept is that I'm not obligated to explain or validate my desire for a slower life to others. Being the oldest of my siblings and having a type-a personality, I've always wanted to make my parents and my family proud. However, I'm staring to realize that the way other people see me doesn't always match how I see myself. Now that I'm leaning into my most authentic self, people I've known my whole life are SHOCKED by my inner most desires. They say things like "I just can't imagine you doing that type of work" or "I'm surprised you'd be into something like that." I can't even be mad because I've spent most of my life trying to fit into the boxes other people have built for me, so their surprise is perfectly logical. I've defaulted to shrugging a lot. LOL. I just don't have the energy to explain myself and do the actual work of creating the life I envision. As long as I'm happy and healthy, I know my loved ones will adjust... eventually. Lol.
Thanks for this reminder and for your honest outlook. I'm a little jealous of your country life, but realize it's probably just the usual FOMO propaganda lingering in my brain. Learning to live with myself and attend to life here and now, where I am.
Thank you for sharing and making me think. I enjoy your insights tremendously.
Absolutely. It is challenging and I am glad you are enjoying it 💚
I remember when I first left my career to stay at home with my children and I decided to start a garden. I got so caught up in "success" (which was to me, enough veggies to eat and preserve) that it became stressful rather than calming. A nice salesperson at a garden store picked up on my anxiety and said to me "There are no mistakes in gardening, only growth." That really helped. After that I realized that even if I never grew enough to can for the winter, the fact that my kids saw my sugar snap pea trellis as an outdoor snack bar and I that was connecting with nature was enough.
That is true wisdom, Tiffany. Getting so see kiddos in awe of nature and enjoying fresh food from the garden is life-giving. Thanks for sharing :)
The hard truth I'm currently learning to accept is that I'm not obligated to explain or validate my desire for a slower life to others. Being the oldest of my siblings and having a type-a personality, I've always wanted to make my parents and my family proud. However, I'm staring to realize that the way other people see me doesn't always match how I see myself. Now that I'm leaning into my most authentic self, people I've known my whole life are SHOCKED by my inner most desires. They say things like "I just can't imagine you doing that type of work" or "I'm surprised you'd be into something like that." I can't even be mad because I've spent most of my life trying to fit into the boxes other people have built for me, so their surprise is perfectly logical. I've defaulted to shrugging a lot. LOL. I just don't have the energy to explain myself and do the actual work of creating the life I envision. As long as I'm happy and healthy, I know my loved ones will adjust... eventually. Lol.
Thanks for this reminder and for your honest outlook. I'm a little jealous of your country life, but realize it's probably just the usual FOMO propaganda lingering in my brain. Learning to live with myself and attend to life here and now, where I am.
Yes, the here and now is calling us, no matter where we live. Thanks for the note 💚