Wisdom While Weeding

I always have inspiration while weeding. I was out in the garden to get certain things done today, but the weeds called to me, so I had to go. This is what came to me:

HAPPINESS is not meant to be a goal, but a moment-by-moment CHOICE.

Reaching for dreams/goals is great, and we can be happy when we get there, but I don't believe achievement creates happiness. I believe happiness is available to all of us in any moment we choose it, and we are more likely to feel happy when we reach our goals if we are happy along the way.

Dongelmans/McClain family reunion in Gouda, The Netherlands

Two grandpas

Dreams and Doings

So, I'm evolving. Yeah, aren't you? Aren't we all? Thank goodness!

This journey never ends, will never end. It never gets done. Thank goodness!

There will always be new thoughts to think, new desires to chase, new dreams unfolding. Thank Goodness!

Right now, new and fresh, in an effort to sum up my story as of today, this is who I am. Hot on the heels of self-discovery, soaring on the winds of change, enjoying the view, diving in to get a closer look at: horticulture, sustainability, raw foods, energy and magic, art and love.

Okay, I love looking at plants, thinking about plants, digging up plants, playing in the dirt, moving plants, sowing seeds, hording seeds, organizing seeds, making lists of my plans and then going out and forgetting about the lists entirely. I just hung a new, page-long "to do" list on my wall. Ha! We'll see about that! I love gardening! Rain or shine, but hopefully not snow! Well, okay, John loves the snow, so I can do without the gardening for a couple months. That's when I get a chance to thumb through my mile-high stack of plant notes, pictures and writings.

Now, I'm feeling the urge to extend my fever for nature to the fauna sort. We have chickens. I'm not big on eggs, but these sure taste better than the ones from the store, and are more yellow, too. Then the chickens give great poop for the garden, of course. When the weather warms up, they could also make a nice economics project for Joran. I'm thinking "Organic Eggs $3" and "Homemade Lemonade $1." He's 5, he should work for his money. Heck! When I was his age....

Since I have sustainability on my mind, and Opa (John's Dad), once a butcher, will be here in the spring, I was just thinking, maybe he can teach me some of his trade. What else am I going to do with those old chickens?

I might have to save the chickens for John, Joran and Jasmijn, because I've also had raw foods on my mind for months. Just exploring the idea for now. I certainly love the idea of taking my foods from seed and being able to eat them, full of the nutrients from the land I've worked and the love I've added.

I got to go to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show again! I started out Saturday with Jasmijn. She was great, and let me sit through 2 lectures. The gardens were so fun and the children's section is getting bigger, so when a friend offered free tickets, I knew I had to come back Sunday with Joran. He ended up loving it! We got caterpillars, which will be butterflies in a couple weeks. We saw a dinosaur in a garden and got to explore a garden of monsters, made from plants and old gardening tools. I bought some reversible dresses for Jasmijn. You can see them in the pictures here. One has fairies/dragonflies, the other has guitars/skulls.

The love, art, energy and magic of life are everywhere! Living in connection with it rocks! Sometimes it seems like a choice between feeling good or being right, but when I surrender, feeling good is so right!

Hey, Joran is 5 and he had his first ever birthday party! He was pretty specific about how it would be. He would only invite a small number of friends and he made sure to tell me exactly what he did not want. He picked out party decorations and approved food, and of course wanted to know all about what would be happening with the presents. Joran likes to know exactly what is going on and how. I was nervous, but we all ended up having a lot of fun!

All happiness!

Jolene =)