by supertwigs | Jul 13, 2011 | Creativity, Health, Nature |
I have been contemplating simple living a great deal lately (and, specifically, since reading a page from Only Small Things, a lovely blog that I’m a fan of.
Read her take here).
For myself, I have been consciously trying to simplify by getting rid of stuff (related to my pledge to embrace thrift), focusing on experiences (over stuff) and continuing to think about my own values, and the things I really want in my life. And the things I could let go of.
A few of those things:
1. (Gulp) A spotless house.
Although I always envy people with these, and wish I could be one of them (oh how I curse those endless piles that only seem to arise in my house). It turns out I am not. I would just way rather use my space to do creative, messy projects, or use my time to go outside or read a book. So be it. I am still trying to accept this about myself, though, and allow myself to be okay with guests seeing my not-so-spotless house. The age-old pressure on the housewife (not that I would use that term).
2. A big house.
Tying into the above point, I have decided I really don’t want a large house. In fact, the more space I have, the more stuff I accumulate, all of which makes me feel a bit overwhelmed, and a lot ill.
3. A lot of stuff.
Once again, taking notes from the above two points, a lot of stuff isn’t necessary if you don’t have a big house to fill, and is a downright hinderance to a person trying to maintain a tidy home (not spotless, mind you). I used to define myself as a pack rat (not a full-on hoarder, but close). I once took a clutter quiz, and got deemed “red alert” for keeping things like old school work (dating back to kindergarten), and newspaper clippings. Anyways, lately, stuff has made me a bit ill. So, I am purging. In the library world, we would call this “weeding” (and the gardening world as well, I suppose).
I never understood purgers. I always considered myself sentimental, and thought it was heartless to throw out something I was given. I now have a new perspective. And I would like to share it. We have been given so much this year by generous friends and family. If my purging can benefit someone else that way, the gifts I have been given can keep on giving. It doesn’t have to stop at me. So, I have decided to try giving away things I still like, not just stuff I have worn out and done away with (note, this is still hard for me, but it is getting better).
Because, living simply means living with less. It means wanting less, and needing less, and realizing we are actually healthier with less. Not because we can’t afford more, but, because we don’t need or want more. I am trying this idea on for size, and hoping it fits.
Now on to those things I truly value. And enough of all this other stuff.
And, you, purger or saver? Weeder or hoarder? Sentimentalist or downright heartless? Any thoughts on simple living?
by supertwigs | Jul 1, 2011 | Books, Creativity, Education, Environment, Goals, Health, Literature, Nature, Parenting, Photography, Writing |
First off, I am at the conclusion of a wonderful day.
I spent the day with my children, enjoying the Canada Day celebrations in our town (happy birthday, Canada!). For some reason, I felt centred today. Relaxed and able to embrace things like dawdling (and having to carry my 3 year old around), making lunch (actually enjoying the down time of preparing a healthy meal for my family) and having no particular purpose or goals for our time (outside of enjoying ourselves). Me at my best. And (surprise, I know) I got my son at his best this way, too. I can’t really recall, but I’m going to say it was a day without tantrums.
My last post was about re-focusing on my goals. After all, tracking my goals is one of the reasons I started this blog in the first place. So, to follow up, I took a look at the goals I have set for myself since the new year:
1. Create a creative space (a place in my home where I can feel inspired and do good creative work)
2. Daily tea ritual (enjoy a cup of tea, centre myself, and remind myself of what really matters, daily)
3. Carve out an hour a day for myself (most often I seem to use this to blog, or read)
4. Focus more on self-care (to stave off “dead-eyed Mom” syndrome)
5. Write poetry (an ode to my high school self)
6. Contribute to MCP Project 52 (in a effort to practice photography on a weekly basis)
7. Write a novel (in a month)
8. Start (and, presumably, continue) running (Hmm… maybe there’s a loophole here)
9. Write at night (after the kids are in bed – the only sane moment of my blissfully chaotic days)
10. Early to bed, early to rise (okay, I only flirted with this one, but darn if it doesn’t keep rearing it’s ugly head)
11. Write a guide for Canadian homeschoolers (a goal that has grown and morphed, but remains)
12. Chart my journey with the earth (as in, create greener habits, and keep track of my progress)
13. Embrace thrift (buy less, play more!)
14. Become a professional mom (but remain constantly learning)
15. Start a family nature club
16. (I think this is my favourite one) Remember to be constantly amazed!
Which brings me back to (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti…)… my wonderful day.
I think I did it today – I remained constantly amazed. I loved watching my kids interact with the world today. I was present, and I so enjoyed their company. For themselves. As distinct and beautiful beings. And, in doing so, I enjoyed myself so much more.
I recall, when starting out on this blog, that I wanted to live a life that followed both whims and passions. Re-reading my goals for the year, I think I have happened upon just that. I have delved into things I had only dabbled into before (nature appreciation, homeschooling, writing, personal health). These whims have morphed into passions, and intersect in the most remarkable ways.
So, for the rest of the year, I will focus on those stated goals and habits I feel compelled to work on. But, I will also remain open to new whims. Because I couldn’t have predicted what life has thrown at me so far this year, and I don’t think I would have wanted to. There has been so much wonder and beauty in the discovery.
And now for a (short) book recommendation. Read Toot & Puddle: On Top of the World, by Holly Hobbie, and love how the random whims of these two pigs lead them to Nepal. I hope to be so open to life’s adventures – both little and large.
And so. How does goal-setting work for you? Do you have an encouraging story of whims and passions to share?
- Cultivate Your Passions. (happiness-project.com)
by supertwigs | Apr 2, 2011 | Creativity, Photography |
Last week’s theme for the photography challenge I’m a part of (Project 52) was just for fun.
In that spirit, here are a couple of photos from our recent trip to the zoo.
Just me practicing with my telephoto lens, and these guys being willing subjects.
Go ahead. Submit a caption or two. Just for fun!
This giraffe is screaming for a caption.
“exCUSE me! I don’t recall inviting you.”
by supertwigs | Mar 1, 2011 | Creativity, Education, Goals, Writing |
(I have mentioned high school poetry before. Namely, the fact that I stopped writing it in high school…)
The subject of high school poetry, these days, has become rather synonymous with bad. It seems that raw openness, and youthful optimism and/or angst (take your pick) are somehow the harbingers of cheesiness.
Well, today, I happened to find my old high school poetry. And, yes, there is a fair bit of badness, a large amount of idealism (a sin of which I am still guilty), and some issues-ridden pandering. True. But, it turns out, there is also a fair bit of poetry. And some humour.
Like this poem:
The wandering brook
The gurgling stream
Are like the pages of a storybook
The child screamed
And fell in the brook
And that was the end,
Of the storybook.
Anyways… What I was really struck with, in fact, was not my amazing poetry, but my analysis. Or the bit I wrote about why I liked poetry. It actually made me think today. And, so, I share it with you:
I like poetry because it gives me the freedom to express what I am thinking, especially when writing free-verse. In the words of Robert Frost, “Writing free-verse is like playing tennis with the net down.” Writing poetry is easy because there are no grammatical rules. It is easy to use made-up words, sentence fragments, and to jump from one thought to the next.
I think poetry is all about interpretation. The author of the poem can write it to mean something personal to them, but it can be interpreted by others in a completely different (but no less relevant) way…
Since poetry is so open to interpretation it can be anything you want it to be. There is no right and wrong with poetry reading and interpretation. Every different person finds different meaning in every poem.
Not bad for a tenth-grader. I also read my teacher’s comments. It turns out he encouraged me to take creative writing classes. And I didn’t. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
So, in honor of my (fifteen?) year-old self, I am going to start writing poetry again. And reading it, too.
(Hence, therefore, if you have any favorite poems, or poets to share – please do!)
by supertwigs | Feb 26, 2011 | Books, Creativity, Education, Parenting |
I don’t know when it started, but somewhere along the line I got it into my head to think about homeschooling my children. Actually, I do know when it started, although not really.
I read a book. That’s how most things seem to start for me.
I read a book. Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate’s Hold on to Your Kids. The thesis of this book is that kids are becoming too peer-oriented, and this is causing parents to lose their ability to parent their children. Basically, the thought is that kids can only have one primary attachment, whether it be parents, or friends. Hey all, realized I said this poorly. Let’s try this again. Kids’ primary attachment should be their parents, or another caring, loving adult, or adults. Ideally, this would be a larger community of both adults and children. However, if kids’ attachment to friends (or anyone else for that matter) is in conflict with that of their parents’, trouble can be brewing. Because they will have to choose. And if parents and their kids aren’t securely attached (due, largely to the structures of today’s society), kids will choose friends. And friends, as much as they might care about your children, are not a good replacement for a wise and caring parent. A parent who always has their best interests in mind. That is a very short summary, and, of course, I am missing key elements. Still, it got me thinking.
Neufeld and Mate suggest that homeschooling can be a good option, by helping to keep the parent-child attachment functioning. It’s all about relationship.
Anyways, all of this got me thinking of the real possibility of homeschooling. Would it be a good option for us? Because I have always been drawn to the concept. It just sounds like so much fun. And it seems to make so much sense.
Lately, it has seemed a bit strange to me that we send kids to school for the majority of their day, away from their families, to be raised by someone else (I know there are a million reasons why we do this, and many, many, many are valid). Still, it also seems strange that we group them in like ages, and they grow up thinking this is a normal part of life, to be with peers of their same age – exactly. To me, it seems plain weird. When you think about it. Is there any other time in a person’s life that this happens? And is it really to everyone’s benefit? Specifically, the child’s?
I don’t have the answer to those questions. Maybe you do?
Then, after reading Hold on to Your Kids, I read The Element, by Sir Ken Robinson. Another proponent of re-examining our educational system. Again, he doesn’t advocate homeschooling, per se, but suggests it could be a good option. Because it allows parents to tailor learning to a child’s distinct learning style, and strengths. More food for thought.
Finally, I happened upon unschooling. And I think I am in love.
The philosophy that governs unschooling is that kids (people in general) are naturally inclined to learn. Encouraged in this direction, and left to their own devices, they will want to discover their world. They will want to know things. They will want to learn. This educational philosophy, if I’m understanding it correctly, says that parents can best support their kids by allowing them to be guided, in large part, by their own whims and passions. Learning co-inciding with interest and ability. Unschoolers learn at their own pace, and aren’t beholden to any particular curriculum. They are above all, lifelong learners.
This is where I get chills. Good ones. For many reasons, one of which is the fact that I, too, love learning. The process of learning just about anything excites me. Another is that I am a librarian (or maybe this is why I am a librarian). Librarians are huge proponents of lifelong learning. This, I would argue, is what we are all about. And we are also great researchers.
So, my imagined unschooling life has me helping my children discover their true potential, following their passions, and learning through life experiences. An education outside the box. I imagine us discovering things together along the way. Exploring the world with eagerness and curiousity. Travelling? Reading? Researching? Experimenting? You bet.
And what better person than a research expert – an expert in lifelong learning – to provide this kind of education for my children. So, tell me, am I being idealistic? Is this to good to be true. Or is it truly an ideal way to learn. Because it kind of seems that way to me.
(My kids are currently 3 years and 9 months, so this is research for me at this point).
by supertwigs | Feb 25, 2011 | Creativity, Goals, Writing |
As I navigate the complicated waters of writing a novel in 30 days (to victory!), I have happened upon a rather interesting phenomenon. The hijack.
My process, thus far, has been pretty free-flowing. I started with a character. I gave her a setting. I set the clock, and said go. I quickly gave her a conflict (as all good protagonists must have) in the death of her husband. Then, I let her fly.
Something approximating the setting
A part of me thought I’d be in control. A fairly major part. After all, I am the writer, am I not? Well, it turns out, that she’s got me beat. Top pair, ace high. Whatever it is, it beats my 2, 7 off-suit.
The other day I was writing a scene. She is talking to an older man, dying of lung cancer (yes, you are right, there seems to be a lot of death in this novel – who knew?). I am thinking, perfect, he is going to tell her about how he lost his wife (more death), and they’ll bond over this. So, things are moving right along. He even starts with something like, “the day my wife died…” And then, somehow, the two are laughing about a woman falling over while acting like a duck. Laughing hysterically, and yelling at the sky.
I give up trying to tell his story. I now have to find a new way to fit it in. Or not. I guess that depends on the characters. Because, another thing. I seem to be developing some sort of love subplot. Unintended. Between two characters with a twenty year age gap (not the two aforementioned ones, just so you know). I don’t know if it will be requited or not. I’m now smart enough to just wait and see.
Did I mention that I’m halfway there?! 26,000 words and counting. I should also mention that I may have to adjust my timeline… I really want to write my novel in 30 days. And I will. That is, if I don’t count the days that I didn’t write. Now, I should also say that these days happened in the beginning. Before I became a seasoned pro. 1600 words a day is easy. When you’re behind, 3000 is not so easy. So we’ll see.
However, when I do reach 50,000 words, you bet I’ll be proud. And you bet I’ll be surprised. Because the way things are going, I have no idea what is going to happen next…
Hi! I’m Kelly Woods, writer, mother & librarian. I write about beauty, creativity, green living and lifestyle design to help others live a life of inspiration, too.