I plan to use my blog not just to journal for myself about my daily reflections and struggles as a mom trying to juggle it all, but to help others who are trying to do too much. So, I spent a good part of my morning trying to figure out how to reach out to more people. Then, I realized, it won't be much help if I don't actually POST something. So, while my 10 month old is sitting in her highchair not-so-calmly feeding herself some apple slices and squeeky cheese curds, I will try and get a few lines written.
The absolute number one question I've had from those who have been following my blog, is "How do I get started?" and the number one comment is "It seems so overwhelming...how DO you do it all?"
So, I thought I better clarify something right off the bat: I have not always lived this way. Yes, I have always been a collector (both of things and of passions), but the homemaking skills I have acquired slowly. The same thing goes for my stance on chemical free cleaning and eating. Knowledge has come to me over the years and I've added a little bit here and a little bit there. And I don't think I'm anywhere near done yet.
The best advice I can give someone is to pick something that is important to you and start there. Don't expect to be an expert overnight, and don't expect to succeed every time, either. With both success and failures comes the knowledge to do it better next time (or to not do it at all!). It might be important to you to learn how to cook more meals from scratch. You might want to keep a clean house but reduce your exposure to chemicals. Maybe you want to learn how and where to source your meats locally...or learn why this is important in the first place. Maybe you just want to learn how to be happier where you are now (this is my current goal!). Or do you just want to read and learn what to do in the future?
I'd have to trace the start of my journey back before I ever got married. I had a passion for cooking...I collected all sorts of cookbooks and spent most of my free time trying new recipes. About 12 years ago, I even managed to write and self publish a cookbook of all my favorites that I shared with my friends and family! I'm pretty sure that my recipe for chicken parmesan with homemade bread is what my husband married me for...although my stuffed jalapeno peppers might be a close second.
Then, shortly before I got married, I began to have an increase in chronic pain issues. Sometimes, it was more severe, and sometimes it was mild, but it was ever present. I felt like I had the flu all the time. Without a medical diagnosis, it was difficult to manage the pain, and hard to know how to cope with it. So, I started to track life events in the hopes that I could find a trigger. The first thing I noticed was that on days I cleaned the house, I had more pain. At first I attributed this to the physical act of cleaning, but after a while, I noticed that when the housekeeper at work cleaned near me, my pain became much more noticable. On the suggestion of a friend, I started using only chemical-free products when I cleaned, and I avoided any areas that chemicals were being used in. Suddenly, I felt better. And the longer I was away from chemicals, the better I felt. Eureka! Known unofficially as chemical sensitivity, my problems could be managed with a simple switch in product.
Of course, there were still times that I had a return of the pain. Mostly, this occured when I was in a more healthy eating phase. Now, I realize that it was this "healthy" food that was hurting me. Any artificial sweetener is a chemical product designed to trick the body into thinking it has had sugar. But, at what cost. Is it really bad to have a natural sugar with the calories or is it worse to have an artificial sweetener full of chemicals? As I began to eat healthier "real" foods, and talking about them with others, I noticed I was gravitating toward local, seasonal foods. They tasted better, they looked better, and I knew where they came from. A friend invited me to a screening of Food, Inc., which I encourage everyone to watch, and that sealed the deal. I became a locavore.
With my new hobby of searching out local foods, I was led into many directions: my own gardening skills needed to be honed, I needed a network of farmers to help me source what I could not provide for myself, I wanted to learn more about the environmental impact of my choices, and I had to learn a whole new way of cooking...and add food preservation to my growing list.
With my new skills of food preservation and gardening, I was led into new circles of friends. Some of these friends had other hobbies, skills, and passions that were complimentary to my values. I now know how to sew (although not well!), have rekindled my love for crafting, and have found many new things to read about and explore.
It may seem overwhelming to look at the list of all I do without taking into consideration that it has taken me 12 years to get where I am today. Some people will acquire skills faster, and some might never add all that I do to their list. Some people just want to grab a coffee and a doughnut and kick back to read about what I've done! Kudos to that, too! Go at your own pace. You will find that trying to take on too much will lead to a collapse of your plans. Pick a topic or two that you find interesting and learn about it. Try something new. Talk to others who have gone that way before you. Never try to reinvent the wheel when it is already rolling along just fine. And, above all, if you have a question: ASK IT! You will find, if you keep your mind open, one thing will lead into another...and before you know it, you'll be able to do more and more!
If you have a topic that you want to hear more about, please leave me a comment on my FB page or here on the blog. I'd love to share what I know with you! And if I don't have the knowledge you are looking for, I bet I know someone who does...and I would love to connect you. Who couldn't use another friend that is willing to share a common goal?
No comments:
Post a Comment