A life worth living is worth living well.

I had an entire post written, two actually, but the first I decided it wasn't all that spectacularly exciting. Actually, I've been thinking that a lot lately about my life... 'though not in a bad way. lol The post was just rather... dull. Aimless chit-chat about the weather, playing Lego, cleaning the house. That's what my life generally entails most days... and well, you might not see how awe-inspiring washing a floor or doing a load of laundry can be. But.... it is what you make it. And honestly, I *LOVE* my life. The parenting, the housework, the yardwork, the care-taking of the animals, the errands, the meal prep, the volunteering, allllllll of it. Love it all. I don't feel that my choice to stay-at-home means I have to become some sort of martyr. I don't have to sacrifice my sense of self to be at home, to be of service to my family; I don't feel at-all trapped. Someone well-meaning recently suggested I get a job and actively contribute to our family's finances. What came across (intended or not) was that being a stay-at-home parent wasn't highly valued by this person (or society at large, I'd venture to add). In their opinion, I'm not successful.

The second draft ended up being a bit of a rant - about how you define success - am I a success as a stay-at-home parent? Why does our society not show more respect to my chosen career as a Reiki Master/Teacher? Or that I volunteer in my community - as a tai chi instructor, as a mentor and active citizen - why aren't these accomplishments more highly valued? I believe that homeschooling my children is a gift - a gift of self-discovery for my self as well as them. Do you see that I *am* contributing in a meaningful way to the world? Because a few people can't see that... :( and it's more than a little frustrating. There's very little support socially for stay-at-home parents; more often than not I'm told I should be doing something "useful" with myself (as if raising the next generation was a waste of time!). Isn't being enough? Don't we want our children, more than anything, to grow up feeling happy, feeling loved, feeling worthy just by virtue of their being alive?

Happiness is a choice, not a goal.

Anyways, the second draft ended up just highlighting how intensely I believe in some things (such as breastfeeding, stay-at-home parenting, homeschooling, environmentalism, or at a more philosophical level, living a life in alignment with one's values). I don't feel that I'm an extremist (a word which has highly volatile connotations these days), I just feel very very strongly about things. I read a sign a while back that said something like "Before swift action comes strong belief."

I believe I'm worthy.

(I believe you are, too)

Now live a life worth living, and

Live it well.