by Kelly | Jul 6, 2015 | Environment, Nature |
I believe there is something deep inside us that desperately wants to connect with place. The natural world speaks to us and pulls us to be in communion with it. We are, after all, an integrated part of this world.
I also believe we each have a place that speaks to our soul. A place that has touched us in a special and significant way. Perhaps at a pivotal point in our life, or as a slow love affair throughout it. For many it’s the place we were born. For others, a place we visited often as a child.
My place spoke to me as a young adult. It sparked my heart and changed my life.
My place is where I met my husband (although I didn’t know that at the time).
My place is where I first slept out under the stars.
My place is where the waves lap the shore and still my soul.
My place lifts my heart and speaks to me in my dreams.
The pounding of rain. The feel of the ocean breeze. The wet smell of a living forest. The slapping of whales on the water. The trill of songbirds. These sense memories speak to the very fibre of my being.
I believe we have a duty to listen to these places. To do everything in our power to let them speak to us. Because it is our places that will help us save the earth.
It is our places that inspire. That open up all that is possible within our souls. They invite us into a love affair with the natural world. Prompting us to memorize every detail of their exquisite faces. Listening to the seasons, the movement of their passing moods, the relationship of each of the stunning species that call them home.
We understand that we are a part of these places. And we will do everything we can to preserve them.
Because these are the places that we call home.
by supertwigs | Feb 11, 2012 | Health, Nature, Parenting, Photography |
I’ll describe this week as disjointed. Up and down, sky high and low, low. What a funny collection of tired and exhilarated I felt.
Who knows why? But my rhythm was a bit off. Perhaps it was as result of the cold working it’s way through my family. And, yet, there were highlights.
Like a perfect picnic under February sun.
My children frolicked, as only children can.
And I got up to collecting the many moments and gifts of the day.
Picnic blankets on a solitary beach.
A 4-year-old photographer.
“Lion-head” trees in winter.
A sun-kissed baby.
Discarded boots.
Eyes that look deep.
Bare feet in February.
—
What was I lamenting?
I certainly can’t recall.
Blown away in the face of all these blessings.
by supertwigs | Aug 19, 2011 | Education, Goals, Nature, Parenting, Photography |
Life has been getting in the way! Summer is such a wonderful season, and I’ve got to admit I have just plain been having fun. But, the past few months have been big ones in terms of life change, and growth, too. I figure it’s time for me to record these things, and, so, here it goes.
As the year has progressed a few priorities have come to light for me.
- To be a stay-at-home mom. Learning and living with my kids, daily.
- To be a homeschooler. An extension of the first.
- To explore creative options for work, and to continue to use my expertise, while stretching myself.
- To spend more time outside.
To this end:
- The kids and I have been playing outside almost every day. The wonderful therapy of sunny (or overcast) summer days, woodland walks, exploring and bike riding has been, well, wonderful. (An exciting side benefit has been all of the new photographs I’ve been inspired to take while breathing it all in).
- I resigned from my full-time job, instead working on call every once in awhile. I still get to be a librarian, and I get to appreciate being at work, because I don’t resent the fact that it is taking me away from my children everyday.
- I have embraced the idea of homeschooling, and have been doing tons of reading, research, and learning with my kids.
- I have started a brand new form of work: The Homeschool Co-op. Combining my expertise as a librarian (research, writing, reader’s advisory skills), and my passion for homeschooling, I have started a brand new business. In essence, it’s an online homeschool co-op: a place for people to share their passions & expertise with one another. It’s part blog, part social network, part resource sharing & book recommendation, and a large part heart.
If your interest is homeschooling – check it out (www.thehomeschoolcoop.com). I’d love to have you join our community.
This entire year has truly been a process of growth, rediscovery and refinement.
When I stopped to consider why I started Middlemusing, and what I’d like to continue using it for, I realized something. I started this place for myself. A place to record my personal growth and acheivement. Although my children often overlap with this, Middlemusing is not solely about them. Nor only about my family.
So, I have also started another blog,
seaandforest.com. If you want to check out my family’s home learning journey, follow us here. It’s in its infancy, but I’ll be tracking our progress together and sharing our discoveries. As for my own personal journey (literary, creativity, goals) I’ll continue to be charting it here. So (breathe a sigh of relief if you like), those of you who aren’t so interested, don’t have to hear about my kids all the time (just sometimes).
Many thanks for reading, and here’s to an invigorating fall (always a season of new beginnings for me, but that’s the subject of another post).
If you’ve had any major (or minor) life changing decisions of late, I’d love to hear about them.
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 | Jun 21, 2011 | Environment, Goals, Nature, Parenting, Photography, Writing |
As it turns out, 2011 is nearly half over. Today being the summer solstice, we are embarking on the second two seasons of the year. The latter half. Winter and spring passed for me in a flurry of activity, reflection and big life changes. And I find myself here, in the thick of things.
I wanted to find a good way to celebrate the summer solstice, but I hadn’t planned anything specific. So, I took the kids outside. We spent hours enjoying a blissfully warm (hot, but not too hot) day, hiking in the woods, wading in the river, and running (or crawling) through the buttercups. I brought my camera, and practiced snapping portraits. It felt glorious.
Today’s summer solstice also happens to be the first official day of my professional motherhood. Any other Tuesday night, I would be working at the library. Instead, I am at home, writing. That also feels great.
So, to cap off the celebration, I thought I’d go introspective. Take a look back, and also forward. For the first time since starting my blog, I have decided to go back and read over all of the goals I have set for myself this year. Some goals, I have accomplished with leaps and bounds. On others, I have made significant progress. And on others, I still fall woefully short (running…ahem…we’ll deal with that later).
It turns out there are so many, I will probably need a post to deal with each one. Which is a good thing, since it will keep me thinking and reflecting, on…oh… what exactly am I doing again? Regardless, just looking over them has invigorated me, and made me realize just how far I’ve come these past few months. Both in my own self-awareness, and the actual completion (or, more accurately, inhabiting) of my goals.
Which makes me, for the umpteenth time, so thankful that I started this blog. I can’t count the number of ways writing it has changed and challenged me (a topic for another post).
And because (as it turns out), I like to assume grand challenges for myself, and then state them here, reading over my goals has caused me to create yet another one.
I am going to use the seasonal solstices as check-ins. Times of reflection to go over my goals, re-focus and propel myself forward.
There it is, in quotes. Something about doing this for the solstices appeals to me. It just feels rhythmic. Beautiful and inspiring in a way that “quarterly reports” do not. So, there it is. The seasonal me. A new ritual to tie me to myself, and my environment, and to that elusive cycle of life. I’m sure there’s something incredibly symbolic in all of this, somewhere.
So, for the next few weeks, I’ll be checking in with my goals. Checking in, and stepping up. And, finally, a hearty welcome to summer everyone!
And you? How did you celebrate the solstice? And how do you stay focused on your goals as the seasons progress?
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.