Blogging Again

I used to keep this blog, and I would fill it with funny stories about my family. You see, I have five children, so I have a LOT of stories. I also have 5 alpacas, 2 goats, a lot of chickens, one giant dog, one adorable puppy, and two cats that are probably adorable if you’re into that sort of thing. 
My husband and I decided to trade in the prefab American cookie-cutter life, and pursue a different dream, one of wild adventure. Eight years ago, we escaped the bonds of civilized society’s expectations, and moved out to the country. Alex’s response to all the indignant questioning of friends and family, was that he wanted to live somewhere where he could walk around naked in his yard and not get the cops called on him. I don’t know if he has ever even tried this experiment. I’ve never witnessed it, but I suppose the whole point was the lack of witnesses. Whether or not he walks around naked when no one is aware, he has made extraordinary use of the privacy of his own land. He used to be a teacher in an adult education program, and one of his favorite stories to use as an icebreaker to get his students talking on the first day of class, was about accidentally pooping his pants when he was outside working early one morning. It always has had the desired effect of waking up a classroom and engaging everyone’s attention. A little brave vulnerability almost always goes a long way in getting people talking. 
It’s one of our family’s favorite stories. I will never forget the day he stealthily entered the front door of our house early in the morning, holding his recently rinsed out boxer briefs, with the sneaky look of someone sure he had gotten away with snitching a cooling cookie off the rack. The quick transition across his face from nervous glee, to surprise, to horror, to utter shame, when he discovered that not only was I awake so early, but sitting on the couch looking directly at his entrance, was one of the most entertaining moments of my life. Now... he still would have been safe, had he not frozen with that look of mortification. I’m not an observant person even in my moments of greatest clarity. And at 6am, not only am I far from optimal brain function, I am probably firing about 2 neurons more than a jellyfish. But the look on his face got my attention. And his opening line has become famous amongst our closest friends: “You might be wondering why I am holding these instead of wearing them.” 
In fact I was not. But his story of gambling on a fart and losing has inspired one of our family mottos, “Never trust a fart.” My kids have been known to pass on this sage advice to friends, families, total strangers. And that’s great, really. I love words. I believe words have power. I especially love family mottos and personal mantras. Words that we repeat over and over are magic, good or bad.
Some of my personal favorites:
The long way is the short way.
Choose the most beautiful option.
Urine is sterile.
I am neither napkin, tissue nor towel.
I love words. I love good stories. I love surprises, change, adventure, fantasy, humor and the beauty of reality. I love to find the very best words to show the most beautiful truths that are tucked right into my everyday life. And I love to laugh at a great story. And I think the funniest stories —the ones that produce soul-cleansing, eye-watering, gut-busting, cathartic laughter— are the ones that are the most true.
I enjoy writing for myself. I journal almost every day. I also love to share the best words that I find. My favorite way to do this is in person over a pot of tea. But I used to blog, and some people keep asking when I am going to do so again. It is a struggle for me. I don’t love attention. It makes me feel awkward. As much as I love words, as soon as they feature myself as the subject, I feel uncomfortable in the spotlight. And then those words, the ones spoken about me, fill all the empty spaces in my life, spaces I liked leaving open. Open space in my mind is where creativity has room to stretch out and grow, the heart of an introvert. I love people. I love doing life with friends and family. I love deep thoughts put into words and shared in conversation with others. But then I run away from all the words and interactions that crowd into my head and overrun my thoughts.
Still, I know that God’s generous love, my beautiful struggle learning from my kids, the hilarious mishaps that are built into my adventure, my brokenness, my growth… It is all meant to be shared. So here I am… Blogging again. There’s a giant story missing from the last blog to this, so I drew a nutshell and filled it with words that somewhat summarize that missing timeframe. 

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