On Being in Flux and Thriving in the Ordinary
I’m not sure when it happened, but recently I’ve been pulling further away from those things that aren’t the absolute bare necessities of life. This is evident in my less-than-usual frequency of posting here, but also in so many other facets of our life.
The papa has taken two days off per week for much of the rest of summer. It has been delightful and I feel like the boys and I are just starting to get used to this new rhythm and the beauty of 48 extra hours of papa time per week. Those days are full of projects, gardening, and the usual laundry, cooking, and dishes. It all has a fuller feel, though, since we are all together.
I’ve stepped away from the kitchen a bit. I believe that the one thing anyone has to do to eat more mindfully is to cook for their family using real ingredients. That’s it. But I have been glad to watch the papa light a fire and grill up burgers and veggies more than a few times in the last couple of weeks.
We hauled off our dining table + chairs, bookshelf, island, and my desk this past weekend. The mess that created was overwhelming at first, but now that I have found places for the things (hello books) that we will be taking with us when we start our adventure our living space seems lighter and easier to take care of. I have a type B chaotic, unstructured personality so having less is definitely much more.
Everything around us seems to be in flux a bit as we start this transition. It reminds me to just do the next thing, wait on the Lord, and appreciate the beauty in things as simple as a clean floor, sharing a pea from the garden with a pudgy little hand, or a good meal I didn’t prepare.
Sometimes it is the seemingly most ordinary things in life that are the most rewarding. And sometimes it is these times that uncertainty that teach us the most.
I love the beauty of living simpler. My sweet husband has been blessed with more days off than usual as well this year and we do our best to make the most of it.
Question for you though, why are you getting rid of table and chairs? Island and such? Are you simply moving them to a new location? Or were they cluttering your space too much?
I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately – I know your “independence from the grid” day is coming up! 🙂 How exciting to feel even closer to your goal! Are you planning to continue blogging thru your journey?
And I’m totally going to ditto Barefeet’s question: why the table and chairs? I mean, agrarian or not, you should have a table to eat at. 😉
You’ve inspired me to purge. Thank you! Oh, and me three with the table and chairs. 😉
I feel much the same way as you, especially as we get ready to move at the end of August. We still aren’t sure what the Lord has in store for us, but are ready and willing to be lead. I have been trying to think through what things we need, what things do we want and what things are simply a burden in our own home. We have been trying to sell things (although not with great success) and I have been trying to simplify life so that I can better enjoy the true blessings God has given my family and me. Sitting in front of the computer, TV or so forth can really zap away those blessings and dwindle away important time to just live. We think we need all the things of modern society so we have more free time, but as I look at myself and those around me, the stress level is often so high because of these “time savers” and not to count the burden they can be financially, that in the end they aren’t so much worth it.
As always love reading your posts and reading about your journey.
Thank you so much for sharing the process. I could identify with your sitution as we are in the same flux right now; we have purchased a piece of land with a horse barn kinda sorta remodeled half-way into a house-like structure on it. We have sold our suburban neighborhood house (soon to close) and are moving daily (Beverly Hillbillie style) a little at a time. Our family of 5 will be “camping out” in 2 of the stalls-turned-to-rooms while we fix, repair and clean the other parts. It is so exciting to know of others embarking on the same adventure!
“It will be worth it all” when we are able to put up the clothesline, plant the garden, get the chicks and dairy goats and beef cows though!
I just posted about our move on my site yesterday and had comments and e-mails from others doing the very same things. It is easy to get the feeling that “we’re the only one” like Elijah did but it is so helpful to know that God has “7000 others” out there!
I look forward to hearing more about your adventure. I’m so excited to know of others on the same path of the journey! God bless you each step of the way!
i was just thinking about you. life first – then blog 🙂 unless like me – your computer is in the kitchen and way too convenient!
Whaaa! I want to SEE the solar freezer LOL