(From packaging material, a marble run was assembled.)
As our family has taken a different path than most - home schooling, home
business, large family, homesteading (growing and making), consuming less
material/new "things", and working on caring for the earth - we
sometimes feel like we are traveling alone.
But lately I have been thinking that really we don't need to find people
"like" us, but instead just need to be around people that are
authentic and real. Yes, it can be
validating to be around people with similar ideals (like a family we were
blessed to meet on Friday that we wished we lived closer to…) but it is also
really fun to learn and listen to others that are passionate about how they are
living their life. That is what I want
our children to get.
As a family we enjoy watching You Tube videos of families that have chosen
to live outside the box - converting a bus into a home or living in a tiny
home, etc.. I like to have our
children watch them not so much because they are examples of how I think we or
they should live, but because I like them to see that there ARE other ways to
live - and also so they don't think we
are the only crazy ones and I guess that helps me to feel a little less alone as well.
What a great post! I think I cling to blogs because that is where I find people with similar values as me. Even my husband thinks that I am crazy sometimes. I never thought to look at youtube to see other examples of this! What a great idea! Do you have any specific videos you would recommend?
ReplyDeleteYou know it's a funny thing being different. I grew up in a place where being different was celebrated--I don't know if it was just the time, but I was taught to value the uniqueness of people and ideas. Now I live in a place where difference is not treasured but made fun of at best and villified at worst. And it does feel lonely. I only hope I can help my children see the value of being unique. I'm grateful for the internet for just that opportunity.
ReplyDeleteComing from a different country to this one, being different is already a given. It is what you do with that difference that will show the world that your way is just another way to be. I have taught my children that we are all unique and it is here in this uniqueness that we must thrive, grow and teach others... yes, it is OK to be different :) I do enjoy how honest you are in your writing... thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteI love this, Tonya. <3
ReplyDeleteYes, being different is okay, and in fact wonderful. Sometimes, I can fall into a rut where I feel so different that I feel lonely. . . but I remind myself that no one is alike, we are all so different, and that is wonderful!!!
HUGS
Could you link to some of the videos you've shown your kids? I'd LOVE to show mine!! <3
ReplyDeleteWhen I go to the library on Thursday (where I have access to high speed) I will make a post with some links.
DeleteThank You. I was going to ask the same thing!
DeleteYes! I totally agree with this! My husband is a youth pastor, and when we were called to our current church we were concerned that we were "too different". But we have found that being around people that are salt of the earth kind of people, no matter what their passions may be, has been so refreshing for us. We are different than those here, but we learn from them and have grown from being friends and neighbors with them.
ReplyDeleteMmm it's so true, sometimes when you find yourself amongst the people who are living more material and wasteful lifestyles it's so easy to feel alone. It's nice to meet people who share your ideals, but it's also strengthening to stand by your beliefs even when nobody else is.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this post, Tonya. Mostly, my goodness ~ that marble run is fantastic!!! I am also interested in the links...I never thought of looking there for something like that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we happen to live in a vibrant homeschooling, homesteading, alternative community. I think perhaps it looks so ideal from afar. However, the reality is that we are still quite isolated in many respects and the varied approaches to alternative are so numerous and plentiful that it can be overwhelming. Ahhh, that grass is so green from afar, sometimes. I love where we live, but there are other challenges, too. I like what you wrote here, and that resonates so well for me.
Have a beautiful week, Tonya.
xo Jules
Beautiful post! Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Tonya,
ReplyDeleteWe felt blessed to meet you, too. Unless you're talking about some other family you met on Friday. In which case, we still felt blessed to meet you.
Take care, keep being different,
Ben
Great point, Tonya! It's so inspiring to see families living out their dreams together. I'm going through a dry spell...feeling like the only family of six in the world to be living slightly under 1,000 square feet. But I know that's not true and I also know that we should enjoy where we are right now because life is so short - we're just passing through!
ReplyDeleteAuthentic and Real! Love these words! Thanks for the reminder to search out unique people!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same. I want my children to know they have a choice and that we are not the only people in the world with the same ideas. I don't want them to get swept up in consumerism and feel compelled to buy for the sake of buying. All this stuff we are tricked into thinking that we must have. I want them to think for themselves and live with their eyes open. Society is spinning faster and faster and few stop to think. Pam
ReplyDeleteI love this Tonya. And I agree, we don't need to have friends who are clones of us, how boring is that? But what we do need to give our children/hopefully provide are relationships with passionate, interesting people. People who live with purpose, whatever that purpose is.
ReplyDeleteWe love YouTube for the same reason. Sharing different viewpoints and "coolness" with our kids.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and enjoy it very much. I like this post bc we too are different than most other people we know. I am a young married mother of two small boys. We live on a tiny farm, smaller than yours. We only have one acre... I make everything from scratch and my husband has discovered he is quite crafty with wood and enjoys making from it very much. We stand out bc we raise or grow our food, don't buy new products and live simply. That makes us different and stand out which I've found in some circumstances is intriguing to some people and to others just makes us 'weird'. Anyway, I could say much more but I wanted to mostly comment bc I read a past post about you owning goats but not ready to commit to milking. On such a small acreage the only live stock that is pratical is goats so they are our source of dairy and meat. I too was scared to commit to milking twice a day, but have found it so rewarding! So many benefits come from it and it goes beyond just what we put into our bodies! I make soap from the extra milk (which is awesome!) and just the daily milking routine has become magical. It only takes about 5-6 mins to milk.. I highly recommend it! We also have found it makes sense bc we can sell the baby does and eat the boys (goat meat is delicous it's the same as the milk, if u didn't KNOW it was goat, you'd NEVER know it was). On our small farm we raise and grow about 60-70% (im not good with precentages) of our food - we have goats, chickens, meat birds, ducks and turkeys. We purchase fruit either in season locally or organically and purchase pork from our friends who farm and have the acreage to support pigs. Otherwise it's raised, grown and preserved here at home. I have found my passion at 24 years old and I am forever grateful. Love to read all you do too- your very inspiring!
From your neighbor in Maine,
Beth
Hi Beth,
ReplyDeleteOh so great to meet you and I look forward to checking our your blog - we are actually in the process of getting a buck now! I am excited to be milking in the spring - hopefully:)
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment.
Warm wishes,
Tonya
There is a load of wisdom in your words here.
ReplyDelete