Saturday, March 30, 2019

The Farmhouse Movement.

It seems that, for the past several years, there's been a movement back "to the farmhouse." I was first pulled in by the phenomenon that was "Fixer Upper," where JoJo & Chip Gaines flipped homes and turned ALL kinds of homes into a modern day farmhouse - whether or not the house was founded on literal farmland. 

The movement, though, is about something so much bigger than an actual house. Or the layout and decor of it. It's much more about the concepts, beauty, simplicity, and personality of a well-loved place from days long gone by. Something held snugly in between tales of times gone by and the expectations of all the future offers. A spot that is less about the farm, and more about the house. 

For a lot of us - me included - it's a "back-to-our-roots" movement where families simultaneously move toward more sustainable options and sustainable, healthy connections to one another. Whether we reside in urban city blocks, suburban neighborhoods, or wide open spaces we like to call "the country," we are more mindful of who we love and how we are choosing to live this one life we've been given. We love and lead more intentionally. We prioritize according to what is best for those we love most, instead of what is most "urgent." 

Toward the end of 2018, I realized I'd spent the better part of the year living my life according to the urgent, and not necessarily what (or rather who) is most important. Our family - children, grands, my parents, and friends. I was spending the least amount of time with the ones I love the most. This wasn't intentional...which is my point, I guess. 

I wasn't living intentionally.

I was catering to the to-do lists and the busyness of this season of life. Instead of savoring each morsel of this extraordinary life, I was prisoner to schedules and the clock and the calendar. It wasn't that these things and activities weren't important; they were and ARE. My issue lay with how I organized my time and my abilities. It had to do with taking better control of my schedule and learned to say "no" to the things that weren't necessary, and yet robbed me of time with my loves. 

There weren't any New Year's resolutions for me this year, but there was an intentional pivot. I chose PRESENT as my word of the year. Not as in gift, but as in being present. In the moment. Aware. Present for the important events. The important occasions. The important people. 

I'm trying to stay the course, and stay true to this pivot. Be at all the grands' special events. Cultivate an even deeper relationship with each of our kids. Communicate more. Laugh often. Call friends. Celebrate the everyday as well as the big stuff. 

It's a matter of coming full-circle. Living an authentic lifestyle, where family values come first, ingredients are pure and simple; where we not only know our neighbors, but call them friends, and where spending our time well trumps to-do lists. 

I appreciate the ability to work hard and run a business. I'm proud of my career as a teacher. I'm beyond thankful that I've been blessed to do both over the past several years, and that the business, which is my passion, is doing so well, and that teaching - which is my calling - still fulfills me. Even though it's time to choose - and, of course, I've chosen the B&B, I know that teaching and my students will always be a part of who and what I am. I appreciate all of this...the figurative move toward the simple things.

I also cherish the move toward the literal simple things: mason jars, shiplap, big front porches, open windows, and a good quilt on the bed. I love homemaking and decorating, finding ways to make our home reflect the things we care most about. I love beautiful sunrises and gorgeous sunsets, and love them most from my own front porch. 

I like this farmhouse movement.

This is a movement toward happier homes and healthier families, both literally and figuratively. 

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