As I write this, there's pea & ham soup bubbling away on the stove. Muffins, fresh from the oven, are cooling on the kitchen bench. There's two loads of washing on the line and the swish and swash of the washing machine is still keeping time in the background. There's half-unpacked grocery bags scattered on the floor near the kitchen bench. (I'll get to them later!) A broom is propping up a wall close by too. I have been playing catch-up while working non-stop since getting back from our recent holiday and today it is so lovely to slow down to the cadence of our home once again.
The contentment I feel today, in resetting myself to the quiet rhythms of our home, reminded me of some lines from one of Kylie Johnson's beautiful poems:
Homemade biscuits fill up the jar again.
A scrumptious Silverbeet Impossible Pie for dinner.
"we holiday in the spaces
of our home -
in soup and conversations
in washing up bubbles
and zucchini ..."
A letterpress print of this poem, from Kylie's anthology, Count Me the Stars, sits atop an old dresser just inside our front door. I see it every time I come home. Words that remind me that our home offers up a retreat, a protected haven away from the wider world where there is meaning in very ordinary things like soup and soap bubbles and homemade biscuits in jars.
While many people thrive on full-time work outside of their homes, and there are many others who have no choice and have to work just to cover the cost of living, I know that is not me anymore. While I love the relief work I do, and the extra $ come in very handy, I can feel depleted and disorganised by it when work days stretch to weeks or months. What turns my compass needle to north again is home and I am grateful to know that and to have that choice at this time in my life. So, even though today's to-do list is long and I probably won't finish half of it, I am going to relish being home today. I have missed it.
Are you spending time at home today too?
Meg
While many people thrive on full-time work outside of their homes, and there are many others who have no choice and have to work just to cover the cost of living, I know that is not me anymore. While I love the relief work I do, and the extra $ come in very handy, I can feel depleted and disorganised by it when work days stretch to weeks or months. What turns my compass needle to north again is home and I am grateful to know that and to have that choice at this time in my life. So, even though today's to-do list is long and I probably won't finish half of it, I am going to relish being home today. I have missed it.
Are you spending time at home today too?
Meg
Hi Meg, Wow! You are such an excellent cook and baker. Yes, I have been home today. I am editing an article that is due in a few days. I sewed in the ends of a hand knit dishcloth, watched a wonderful Master Class on Youtube on James Taylor, and just made a spinach salad. I love staying home, too. I feel fortunate to be able to work from my cottage.
ReplyDeleteIt's lovely that you can work from home, selling the lovely things you make and writing too. I have the ends of a dishcloth to sew in too ready to gift to a lovely friend next week. Enjoy your weekend! Meg:)
DeleteI'm a homebody. I do work outside and love it, but I try to keep things separate. I enjoy doing things at home.
ReplyDeleteI hope you are having a relaxing weekend. :)
It's a lovely Winter weekend here, Nil. It's cold and breezy but the sun is shining. I've unpacked my teaching basket and that, for me, is a little ritual that signals work is over. It's good that you can keep things separate, work and home. I found that very hard to do as a teacher as there was always work to bring home and preparation for the days and weeks to come. Enjoy your weekend! Meg:)
DeleteI couldn’t agree more Meg. I love home more than work, but I am thankful every day that I am fortunate enough not to have to go to work full time. I am so exhausted after a shift that if I had to work full time I know I wouldn’t even have the energy or desire to make home a warm inviting sanctuary on my days off, and life would certainly be miserable all round!
ReplyDeleteI know that I'd find the treadmill of full time work very exhausting, Cheryl, if I had to go back to that. I know I wouldn't have the time or energy to keep things running smoothly around here either. Relief work, and next year a return to part-time work, feels sustainable for me. Have a lovely weekend! Meg:)
DeleteI too am very grateful for the circumstances that allow me to work part time and potter around my house doing a little of this, a little of that. What fortunate women we are :)
ReplyDeleteVery lucky, Jo. We have a choice and that's a pretty fortunate position to be in. I come from a single parent family and my Mum worked really hard and scraped by just to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. I've not forgotten that and the reality it is for so many. Meg
DeleteEnjoyed the sentiments conveyed in your post today Meg. Home plays a similar role here. We were able to make enough adjustments to enable me to stay home with our girls and i couldn't be happier (don't get me wrong - stay at home mothering manages to serve up a mix of monotony and unpredictable moments but it's deifinitely where I want to be). Everyone's circumstances are different of course, but for us it was all about aligning things to our values.
ReplyDeleteWhile I look forward to doing some paid work again I have no desire to work full time and am working on structuring my 'work' so it fits around our life and home and not the other way around.
Hope you enjoy some time at home. We are having a nice homebody weekend here (the temps aren't going to get above 10 degrees over the weekend so even more reason to stay in).
Cheers,
Laura
We are coming down to Canberra in early August, Laura. Going to need thermals, I think! Stay warm and enjoy your inside home days. Meg:)
DeleteWhat a lovely uplifting blog you have. I shall pop back for a really good read later today. Your home sounds like the peaceful haven that I hope mine is.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cherie. I hope you find lots you enjoy reading when you pop back later on. Meg:)
DeleteSounds like a perfect day! When things are busy I too find my balance at home. I re-find my rhythm, my thoughts slow and my mind comes to rest. Sometimes I think I’m so vey boring but it makes me genuinely happy! It sounds like your home does the same for you. A lovely post today. Xx
ReplyDeleteI must be boring too, Emma, because I love it at home! Meg:)
DeleteWhat a lovely heart warming post Meg. I'm retired so get to be home every day, it's my favourite place to be, just pottering and pootling about. I laughed and nodded in agreement when I read about your shopping sitting on the floor, waiting for 'later' and the broom propping up the wall.....two things evident in my kitchen at times too.
ReplyDeleteThe kitchen is always the first place to look either chaotic or tidy here, Nanette. It's often a reflection of my headspace! Meg:)
DeleteI am like you...I love being a homemaker. I want to cook delicious food for my family, putter in the garden and make my home a inviting and welcoming place for everyone.
ReplyDelete