I sat down a number of times yesterday and just drew a blank on what to write for my Slice of Life Tuesday blog. I’m back to “this is simplistic” compared to other blogs I’ve read lately. The words aren’t coming well, and that’s ok, I guess.
Then, I came across my title here in a blog post titled: Stranger #1: Log of Human Connections by Ella Joy. I can’t begin to describe who she is, so I invite you to check out here bio page here. Just a great group of personal, heartbreaking, hopeful blogs from a young woman who’s been to hell and back and wants more out of life.
For me, that quote just resinated in my brain. While I work hard at it, I can’t always be positive. These last two years have been ones of way too much change for my system from both daughters going to college to my health issues to being moved again in my district to us having no Brown Swiss on our acreage to just the daily grind of life. And not that change is a bad thing, but too much is tough. Add to this, last Saturday, we sold our last show heifer at the Minnesota State Brown Swiss sale, yesterday, we traded off the van in which we traveled all over the Midwest, went to the Grand Canyon, to Door County, WI, moved both girls to college in.
#Cantthingsstaythesamejustalittlewhilelong
So, I can’t be positive, now what?
I can have faith:
- that my wife, while “stuck” with me (this is our joke), will continue to enjoy spending time with me in our empty nest. We are being the find a sense of routine with no daughters and no cows around.
- that we’ve done our job as parents that our daughters are making good choices in college. There are things I never told/will tell my parents and I’m sure my daughters have the same thing going on. I just want them to be safe, especially in the light of the two murders at Iowa and Iowa State.
- in the fact my middle school team will lift me up when I’m falling. I’m not sure where I fit with my middle school team right now. I feel apart from everyone, partially by my own doing because I’m hesitant in new situations, but also because I don’t have a true place right now.
- in humanity, that when evil appears, in whatever form, that it will be beat back.
- in the power of love and the power of the human spirit. From Harry Potter to the rescues we see happening in North and South Carolina, the world needs more of both, that idea that love can conquer all and that our spirit cannot be beaten down.
- in the dignity of the human soul to do good when good needs to be done. Again, as we watch rescuers and volunteers begin to descend on the hurricane torn areas, it’s our souls telling us, this is good work. I wish I could do more, but am here, so I’ll send my good thoughts to those in need.
We’ve had two days of Leader in Me/7 Habits training and my emotions are all over the place. I end with this: I just want to find me, my true self, and we’ll see where that takes me. I invite you along for the ride!
#itmaybebumpy 🙂
September 19, 2018 at 12:11 am
You’ve described enough change to make *my* head spin, and I’m just reading about it, not living it. Sounds like you have some mourning to do, and some waiting to see what comes next. I wish you peace on the journey, even when it gets bumpy.
September 19, 2018 at 7:54 am
It took me days to figure out the verbage and how I wanted this to go! Some days, I’d love to just write, post, and be done. That will never happen! 🙂
A little bit of mourning, yes, be celebrating what was and what can be as well. Peace is good right now, but I’d be happy with moderately loud! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
September 19, 2018 at 4:42 am
This is life… and #itmaybebumpy is surely true, but through it all, so is #isn’titglorious. Thanks for sharing.
September 19, 2018 at 7:52 am
I agree, this is life: the good, the bad, and the ugly! We live it with all the highs and lows and spectacular moments and warts and everything in between (my students would be freaking out at this point with all the “ands”). But in the end, we owe it, and we need to be responsible for ourselves, our attitudes, and our presence while we are here! 🙂
Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
September 19, 2018 at 5:40 am
“…our spirit cannot be beaten down” – It may feel like it, but I love that your faith will bring you back to who you want to be. 🙂 Thanks for this post!
September 19, 2018 at 7:49 am
Hey friend! Long time no see! Thank you for stopping by, that made my day!
I believe that even with a tough day, our faith, regardless of what it is in, can bring us back to who we want to be. It may take a while, but it can happen! 🙂
Thank you again for the comment! I hope you are well!
September 19, 2018 at 10:10 am
Thanks for your honesty, Darin. And I’ll tell you what I tell my students (and what my friend told me), re: your blog being simplistic. Your voice is needed, and you always bring yourself to your blog and that’s what you bring that’s different.
Or as Kanye West says, “There’s a thousand of y’alls / there’s only one of me.”
September 19, 2018 at 10:23 pm
>Or as Kanye West says, “There’s a thousand of y’alls / there’s only one of me.”<
Love this line!! I appreciate your words and will continue to write, there's no doubt about that. AND I will continue to write my snarky, simplistic, goofy nonsense that I love to write about. 🙂
September 19, 2018 at 5:22 pm
New mantra, right now, it’s like this. Bumpy is ok. Let’s move forward.
September 19, 2018 at 10:22 pm
Exactly, bumpy is ok. And we’ll continue forward. 🙂
September 19, 2018 at 8:10 pm
It’s great to be back reading your blog. You’ve definitely had ups and downs (I confess I’ll miss your Brown Swiss stories) but I love your attitude… ‘you gotta have faith’… and perseverance. 🙂 Sorry they keep bumping you around from grade to grade…hopefully things will settle down for you. And through it all, I can hear your sense of humor. 🙂
September 19, 2018 at 10:21 pm
We’ll get through it! Sooner or later the bumps will become smaller and things will settle down, right?? 🙂