Life

It started out quite causally –  he had left his keys when he was grabbing napkins.  I handed them to him and he thanked me.  Completely normal and expected.  I had heard he spoke loudly to a table off to our right moments before, “I’ll be right there, honey”.  I had glanced over to see a lady seated, facing away from us but I saw no visible response.

As I handed him his keys, and joked that ‘it’s a long walk home’, he said something along the lines of being pulled in too many directions.  I noticed that look in his eye.  I told him I had his back.  And his response struck me to my core.  He said with such depth and emotion, that he was just so busy trying to keep his baby alive.  He had turned back to the counter to grab a straw and I saw the fight for control slip away as tears filled his eyes and his chin quivered.  I wish I had the words to ease that burden for him, if only for a minute.  But he squared his shoulders and took his tray to sat across from his ‘baby’ and I waited in line for my bag of greasy goodness.  But, boy, did I struggle to keep the tears from slipping over.  I couldn’t make eye contact with any of the ladies behind the counter because I was afraid I’d seem foolish for crying over a few words exchanged with a complete stranger.

I stole a quick glance over again as I made my way out the door.  They sat chatting and eating together, the days must be numbered, you could hear the forced normality in his too loud voice.  But these moments of a shared meal and chatter mean even more.

It was a reality check.  The stress of my day fell away.  I did the only thing I could do.  I offered up two strangers and their struggle to the One who loves them more than anyone, who feels their pain and offers to carry it, along with them, in the palm of His hands.

To be continued,

Lori

All too often we compare ourselves to those around us. And in these days of social media and phones by our sides all day, every day, it’s always staring us right in the face; a digital reminder of where we are at in the grand scheme of life.

We are bombarded by everyone’s best version of themselves, shown through the filters of Instagram and Facebook.  The neatly styled corners of their homes, wardrobes, work and life.  And its hard not to compare. Really hard.  Someone else’s vacation was better than where we went, their house is bigger, prettier and more current.  Her wardrobe looks so good on her thin frame and their car is newer, fancier and better.  She seems to be going places in her career, that Facebook page has more followers and her Instagram post has way more engagement than mine.  See? We are constantly fed a filtered glimpse into other people’s lives.

This has been on my mind lately.  I looked at my shower floor the other morning and wondered if other people have a hairball, clumps of soggy soap and a razor begging for attention.  The kitchen is barely functional for the stuff piled on every available horizontal surface.  The laundry is gathering wrinkles in the back bedroom while I frantically get my children out the door, hoping they have what they need for their field trip to the beach.  Greeting me outside is a lawn that could be made into a hay field, shutters that need to be painted and a barn that is crying for some tidying and a good sweep.  This is my reality.  I barely have time to take it in as I scurry to get myself out the door for the day.  Throw into that a blog hop with fellow bloggers that I yet again managed to mess up and social media posts that seem to be flopping.

But what did I show you? A peaceful scene on a beach from a month ago. Not my kitchen, not my yard.  Certainly not my shower floor.  I didn’t show you my reality. So, really, what you saw wasn’t real.  It’s what I’m choosing to put out there for the world to see.  I show you the pretty while the reality or behind the scenes is very real and not at all pretty. AND WE ALL DO IT! And accept everyone’s posts as their reality.  But is it? No. It isn’t.

There are times that I feel like I am doing a half-assed job of 20 things and not giving 100% to any one task at hand.  Not my mothering, not my work, not my home, not my friends and not even me.  But I see how well everyone else manages to get through life…or appears to…

So, where does this leave me? I could wallow in my ‘less than’ and self-pity.  And yes, I have let myself put my head down and have a little cry but I don’t stay there.  I am more than my house or my blog or the number on the scale or the number of followers on any given social media platform or the balance of my bank account or the items crossed off (or not crossed off) my to-do list.  I am more than what I find in those comparisons.

That elusive word ‘Balance’ comes into play.  How do I find that balance in my current stage of life/family/career?  I let go of some of the things and I hold tighter to others.  I prioritize, I make lists and I seek out help.  I realize that where I am today is because of my yesterdays and not where I need to be tomorrow.  What my reality is today doesn’t mean I’m tied to that for tomorrow.  I have a choice every morning, every day, every minute of where I want to be.  Maybe not physically but for sure mentally.  I can let comparison steal my joy or I can be thankful for where I am today.

Where am I today? Well, let’s have a look, shall we?  Two years ago I didn’t have a blogging tribe to even do a hop with.  I may not be my ideal weight but I’m healthy. My children are wonderful little humans whose company  I enjoy and they’re healthy, too.  My husband makes me smile and I know without a doubt he loves me. I enjoy my house, mess and all.  I have friends and family who offer their support and friendship to me on a daily basis.  And I’m carving out time for myself to grow creatively and artistically.

And dear readers and followers, please don’t compare your today to my today.  We are all at different places and stages in our lives.  I’m not less than nor am I more than you.  You are not less than nor are you more than me.  I am me, living my best life with where I am today, so you best be you, living your best life. And my gifts and talents are not your gifts and talents.

Someone said, in one of the podcasts I’ve been listening to, not to compare your Chapter 1 with someone else’s Chapter 15.  We are all at different stages and places in this journey of life.  Wake up each day determined to do the best you can with what you have to work with.  And if you feel like you failed today, try again tomorrow.  Every day can’t be filled with sunshine and lollipops, but remember the sun does shine again after the rain.

“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it, it just blooms” ~ Zen Shin

I share pictures of my life as seen through my lens.  I tend to shoot close.  There are two reasons I shoot close.  One being that, yes, it hides the background and usually the mess.  I’m not going to lie, I hide the messy bits of my life on social media.  The other reason is so we/I can focus on the little details and take joy in them.  The swirl of frost, the curve of a petal, the freckles dancing across a cheek bone.  If I trust you with my reality, I’ll span out.  I’ll show you the soggy soap and the shaggy lawn.  Those messy bits are there, trust me.  Just like I know that you have them, too, and I hope you have people in your life that you can trust with those bits, too.  Your real bits of reality, the messy parts, the hurt and scarred bits.  Find your people and let them love you.

To be continued,

Lori

Celebrating Canada Day is always fun and we usually try to do something special to mark the day. But this year, as it is a big one, I feel the need to do something EXTRA special!  Clearly, a 150th birthday is something worthy of a grand gesture. { You can read what we did last year HERE }

So, I started to think – what would I do? Would I make something? Decorate a space up? How would I, Lori of Farm Fresh Style, mark this occasion.  And when I came up blank, I did what any mom would do….I asked my kids.  And I’ll admit that at first I chuckled at Lena’s response…until I really saw the merit of her idea!! And then the wheels started turning and a plan was hatched!! A plan I’m super excited about…as in foolishly excited about…. 🙂

But, before I tell you anything about my plan, you need to see what was in the box! I did a Facebook Live with Hannah helping me.  You can watch it on my Facebook page HERE.  { After we finished, Hannah asked me to record her as she talked about the flag in our box!!  Too cute!! }

So, here’s the pretty red box.  I love red….but I’ll bet you knew that already.  And know what else I love?  Surprises!!!  Well, some surprises…not like a blind mouse in my glove box kinda surprise but a big red box of goodies kinda surprise….  I knew a couple of the things that were coming in the box, but they added some extra goodies, too!

Inside they had 2 sets of the Red and White lights which I will wrap around my porch or fence after I finish my secret mission.   They were even generous enough to send 2 extra sets for our local community’s Canada 150 celebrations!!!  How great is that!?!?!?

There is a Canadian Flag, which I’m really excited about.  I’ve never owned a flag before.  How sad is that! I’m trying to decide where it’ll go, I have a few ideas….you’ll have to wait to see.  I love that the package even says its suitable for windy locations….it’s certainly windy here and I can’t even imagine how much more so in other spots across this country! My friend was recently at Signal Hill in Newfoundland….’nough said?

The softest t-shirt arrived for me, too, along with a handy dandy flashlight.  I think that you can never have enough of either.  Comfy t-shirts and bright flashlights.  And ones all decked out with maple leaves are even better.

And a fun little extra they threw in was a gift card to Canadian Tire.  That was so unexpected!  I wonder what I’ll buy with it….knowing me, spray paint or something like that!  Or maybe I should get something for the Veranda, or plants for the yard. Or outside toys for the girls, maybe? Hmmmmm, or wander the aisles and decide?

So, I’m going to be working on my little project here over the next week or so, you’ll have to stay tuned on Instagram, Twitter, my Facebook Page to see little bits and pieces of what I’m working on.  But I’ll give you the hint of Iconic Canadian and that’s all… { And feel free to comment with some Iconic Canadian things and people for me to use for the final post!! }

To be continued,

Lori

I was provided with this kit by Canadian Tire but my take on it all is just that!