Satisfying Work

What a month...

Already, the hard work and preparation of the last few months is paying off in the garden.

Yesterday, I made two meals mostly from food grown right here on our property - a satisfying passion project that brings many hours of joy, nourishment, and physically demanding labor! My body has been sore and tired, but my heart and belly are now full. It's a balanced trade which I joyfully accept.

Those of you who know me personally are likely aware that my schedule during the school year involves several hours a day of driving in order to transport my youngest cub to a specialty art high school. As two years have nearly completed, that equates to over 900 hours of driving, and I am about as exhausted as I vaguely remember being during the infant years.

This has contributed to a real need for discernment, so this Summer I am only saying YES to the things that feel like an emphatic yes.

As I've found great joy during those 900 hours of time in the car bonding with my youngest buddy, I simply cannot wait for the freedom that Summer brings. And as I enter the season of Summer in my life-cycle, I'm already finding so many opportunities for reflection and growth in the garden of my soul during this "free time". Coming close to 25 years of parenting and entering this new phase of a rapidly emptying nest brings waves of deep satisfaction alongside feelings of "WHO AM I"? It feels like a major rebirth into a phase of life I've admittedly daydreamt about in the more difficult moments. A level of freedom to make choices that simply haven't been available my entire adult life.

It's bittersweet to think that at some point in the next few years, all the little birdies will have flown the nest. Just like there is so much about the Spring I've loved and will miss. But Summer holds a whole host of new delights, so I'm practicing staying present to the joys of the here and now.

Consider -