Transitions

In the last post I shared a link by a woman who homesteads.  She was sharing advice that she wished someone had shared with her before she began homesteading.  In life, having insight from those who've traveled the road ahead of us is so incredibly helpful.  I keep thinking about this woman's post.  I hope you are too.  And I think there are a couple broader lessons to be learned here.

First, seek out and be open to advice from others.  Knowing what they've learned in their journey will help you avoid some of the same pitfalls.

Second, be open to lessons learned even from people whose life experiences are very different from yours.  I'm a suburban mom whose having trouble keeping alive the herbs in my kitchen window.  I am not now--and probably will never be--a homesteader.  My family and I would starve! 

But at heart what this woman is writing about is transitions.  What she writes about transitioning from an urban to a rural setting to homestead is actually very applicable to my life.  I've been transitioning from a life in the rat race to focusing on my family.  Like her grandiose expectations and goals when she began homesteading, I also dreamed big and had high hopes for my home and homeschooling.  And like her experience homesteading, not all my dreams and hopes have materialized in the 4 months or so that I've been home.

Nonetheless, her advice that it doesn't have to happen overnight is helpful.  I'm already beginning to see that some of my plans are more long term and have a longer germination period than I'd assumed.  Being gentle on myself about that reality is important.  And taking time to take stock and revel in the successes is important.  Even though I haven't met all my goals for my home or my homeschooling, there has been a lot of progress already.  And we're not done yet.