The same, but different.

It feels like we have been here longer than a month now.  Places are becoming a little more familiar, we are getting used to the very different weather, the boys are settling into school.  Angus, helped by the wonderful care and support of the school, is slowly finding his feet too.  The familiar routine of homework, packed lunches and forms to sign has come flooding back.  

It's the same, but different.  

Camping is tiring, I miss the familiarity and convenience of our belongings.  The home-made quilts, the comforts we have become used too.  As much as I try to create little spots of organization and routine I am constantly moving one thing to get to another.  

I want things to be done NOW. 

It is a natural repercussion of the kind of life we have become accustomed to in todays modern world.  Most of us are not used to the feeling of having to wait, of having to make do.  We are not used to the time it takes to do everyday tasks if we can't do them at the flick of the switch.  

It is uncomfortable and often frustrating.  

But then growing always is.  

So often in life, we reach for the quick fixes.  We are bored so we mindlessly scroll devices.  We are cold so we crank up the heating while walking around in a tee-shirt rather than adding layers.  We are hungry so we order take away rather than going to the kitchen and whipping up a simple meal which can take the same time or less than ordering takeout and is usually healthier.  We have long drawn out text conversations, in which only manage to portray a fraction of the depth we would in person to person.  We buy more stuff because the old stuff is the wrong colour/style/needs a little repair job which we can't be bothered doing.  We buy a gym membership because we know we need to be more active yet don't actually ever get around to going to the gym.  We put off learning a new skill because we fear failure and build it up to be bigger in our minds then it is.  We miss out on a new friendship because we fear we are not enough in some form or another. 

And this is just some of the things I have done.

We fear failure, discomfort, and embarrassment.  Like water that finds its way down the hillside, we take the path of least resistance.  

But then what?

We eat food that is not so good for us, while perfectly good food spoils in our fridge.  We miss the real and deep connection of hearing or seeing the voice and face of those we love and loneliness sets in.  We spend money rather than save it then feel stressed and unhappy when the bills arrive.  We remain unfit and end up feeling guilty and unhappy over it.  We fear failure so much we never try those things we dream of and they eventually end up a faint memory filed away in the back of our minds.  That place of wistfulness that all our dreams go if we never truly take the time to examine them.    

So often the path of least resistance is not a pretty trickling creek down the hillside.  Instead, it can turn into a great eroding gully that gouges away at all our dreams and what we want to be and do, if we so allow it.  

Change is hard.  It is uncomfortable.  Learning new things can be hard, and uncomfortable.  Sometimes we mess them up, sometimes they don't work, this is true. 

But what if they do work?    

What if we find a new skill that brings us a new found passion and deep joy?  What if we got fit and strong?  What if we saved the money we spend on take away and took a beautiful weekend away?  What if we didn't feel a deep pit of worry when the bills came in because we had enough saved up?  What if we made that new friend, and they became the kind of friend we would grow old with?  The kind of friend we could share our hopes and dreams with, a friend who became like family?  What if embracing change and discomfort meant we actually lived out the things we dream of, rather then storing them in our minds and day dreaming about them forever more?  

The little steps we have taken towards living a simpler, more mindful life have led us to where we are today, on our farm.  For us, it started HERE, 

A few of my favorite op-shopped bits and bobs.  Often the tin is full of homemade goodies that go well with a cuppa.    

Sure it is messy, it is tiring, it is sometimes uncomfortable, money is tight and sometimes it is utterly overwhelming.

But growth usually is.  

But it is also beautiful, full of potential and new experiences.

The biggest thing towards changing the life we live towards the life we value is simply the courage to take the first small step, and then the next.  It is the same with all dreams.  The happening is in the taking of the steps.

What are you dreaming about?

Much love,
Emma
xx