In all fairness, when I told my husband about this blog, he totally laughed. Some of my friends would probably laugh, too. Let me explain…
I’ve done a few things with my life that from the outside, look very unrelated. I’ve been a technology project manager, a small office manager, a business analyst, a tech writer, a public high school teacher, a real estate agent, a small business owner, a member of my local government, a member of my local Planning Board, a foster parent and an online editor and moderator. They all require excellent organization and communication skills. I can honestly say that most people that know me will tell you that they have no clue how I manage to do as much as I get done–that’s for sure. But peaceful? Really? Not the first thing that comes to mind when people think of me.
The challenge is that people associate “peace” with “silent” or “laid back”–of which I am neither. I’m active and sometimes outspoken. But I do have peace. I’m not perfect by any stretch, but I am not usually plagued by the issues that people commonly complain about. ”Peace” is notsomuch about YOU being silent as it is about not having that nagging, worrying feeling all the time. It’s the harmony of the things in your life. I can juggle 42 plates at a time, but it’s harmonious–not chaotic. It’s the absence of “that little voice” that eats at you. THAT is what is silent.
And to that end, I will be on this journey with you all. My life has taken a serious nose-dive in the last 12-18 months and gotten very out of focus. We have had a difficult season full of serious losses and traumas. I will be working to realign it and get back on track with you through this blog. I will be doing the same things you will be–reading the entries every single day (maybe multiple times) to help myself stay focused. Remember: it’s one thing to understand the problem, but breaking the habit is quite another. In that respect, I am in the same boat as many of you. In fact, when I told my husband about this blog, he likened it to the flood remediation company that built a pool in their house and then emptied it–in the house–so that they could empathize with their clients… because they’d been through it. Very nice…
But who AM I?
Does it matter? If your life doesn’t look like my life, will you just assume that this can’t work for you? Because that’s an excuse. You can look at every difference between my life and yours, but it doesn’t matter. At it’s heart, the issues are in how we face and manage our life–whatever our lives may be.
So I will, against my better judgment, tell you a bit about me:
I’m almost 40. I am the mother of a biological son (who is currently 6-1/2 years old) and one adopted daughter (who is currently 22mo). They are each a miracle in their own right. I am a wife of 11 years to a Brooklyn Italian with stunning blue eyes. We were very actively engaged foster parents for three years before relocating from NJ to IL due to my husband’s job. While in NJ, we had 8 laying hens and grew a lot of our own food; and spent 10 years restoring and renovating our 150-year-old Victorian farmhouse.
We homeschool. We celebrate christian and earth-based holidays, and watch Joel Osteen every Sunday (or more as needed). We are a relatively holistic family.
Oh, and we have 2 dogs and a fish named “Smith”. :D
