Do you remember a time where blogging was the WAY to go? With social media and the reels, videos, GIFS, and a million other stimulating things that go with it, do you ever miss just turning it all off and reading something? I totally do. And I DO do it! Haha! Even though 95% of my business is online, I still appreciate the moments of quiet and chances to quiet my mind. When you’re someone who deals with anxiety and constant mental chatter, it’s hard for me to slow down sometimes, but it always pays off. One of the ways I USED to do this was through writing. I wrote via journal and blog for YEARS. Maybe it’s the craziness of having 5 (amazing) kids and more and more responsibilities, it started to fizzle. But I miss writing. SO maybe this is an attempt at starting again.
Today, I ordered a book. Not something out of the ordinary, although I find myself listening to audiobooks more than reading these days, other than the scriptures. But I was reminded as I prepared for a speaking assignment I have this week of one of the people who made me fall in love with words and nature. So I ordered a 1939 copy of ”Walden,” by Henry David Thoreau. The words glide through my mind and soul like a massage. There are plenty of new copies, but I wanted an old one. Old paper, old binding, something with a story. Something tangible, where the words don’t get whisked away by the next best thing on the interwebs. Maybe that’s why I have loved making cookbooks so much. Holding something in your hands that you’ve put your heart and soul into really is special.
Henry David Thoreau was a transcendentalist. What is that? Basically, it’s the belief in the inherent goodness of people and nature. Can I tell you a secret? I think I might be a transcendentalist. I’ve thought this since High School, and still do! Kind of kidding, but also not.
He had a strong focus on self reliance. He wrote an essay called, ”Duty of Civil Disobedience,” where he said that “That government is best which governs not at all”. Freedom. Agency. Connection. I dig it.
When you are craving something real, where do you turn?
I was studying the Old Testament in the bible today, and the more time goes on, the more real it feels. The word of God feels real. Nature feels real. Having a hug from a loved-one feels real. Eating cozy food-the kind that is delicious and warms your whole body from the inside out feels real. Opening the window on a balcony in the early morning and feeling the solitude and fresh air feels real. Laughing until your eyes water and it’s hard to breathe feels real. Sitting around a campfire and feeling the warmth on your legs, while you tell stories or listen to someone strum the guitar feels real. The tangible love for your babies feels real. Having your hands in the garden feels real. What grounds you?
XO
Sarah || The Dainty Pear
