Where I Was Planted
Living in a leaky trailer on my grandfather’s farm, the necessity for minimalism relentlessly accommodated my family. Although hard at times, we made due. Us three girls shared a room fit for two beds and a foot wide, cube TV. It was home and we were thankful for it, despite its size and status.
It wasn’t until seven years later that my parents, four siblings, and I were able to inhabit a much more seven-person-family-friendly modular home.
Excitedly, it was stuffed with seven cats, two dogs, three birds, a potbelly pig, and a snake. A wild childhood, no doubt, but I was thirsty for a sense of control in a seemingly uncontrollable situation.
How I Chose to Grow
What started out as organizing a living space behind a closed bedroom door, moved into the bathroom I shared with my sister Ashley. Once I was enjoying a comfortable living space, I further organized our “uncontrollable” pet kingdom by creating a responsibility board for training our family dog, Stitch. When responsibility within my home grew scarce, I asked to start milking the cows in the summer months of my middle school career. Between milking the cows at 4:30 AM & caring for furry family members, my new priority-based call to action was to work towards a Bachelor’s in Small Animal Science from an agricultural school. I paid all my debts within a year of graduating my university and I never used the degree. Although frequently asked, I am okay with that; every experience plants a seed for the next phase of unexpected personal growth.
The Everyday Process of Intention & Well-Being
Now, I Saturday morning meal prep, go to the gym more days than not, put $1,100 into my savings account monthly, & read at least a book a week (I’m a sucker for “Self-Help” titles). As a result, these progressively, learned motives made me the ultimate tool in creating my own dog sitting business in August 2014, a blog in January 2020, and continuously my own future.
While I love (absolutely adore) the crazy life I was born into, it is abundantly assuring to know I have full control of how I respond to my surrounding stimulus and choose to grow.
Controlling the Conditions
In order for me to be a good guide to others, I need to be a good caretaker to myself. Recognizing that I’m not always a representation of the excerpt of accomplishments above is the first step in doing so. During grade school, my parents would receive notes from my teachers requesting I re-do projects; projects I handed in, knowing full well I lacked faith and integrity in my own capabilities. Similarly, don’t be a project that you overlook; the pathway to all of my aforementioned “successes” graduated from mastering the step immediately preceding it. Certainly, we all struggle with watering the right keystone habits, sparkling mindsets, and worthwhile relationships. Therefore, that is the groundwork goal here in this flower patch of Heather.
Nothing is stopping you but you & no comparisons should be made unless between oneself today and yesterday. Simultaneously, I hope to encourage a paradigm shift in the lives of those who find comfort in my musings.
Sharing My Soil
As a result of stumbling across my garden of gratitude, after each and every post you dig up, do something. Phone a friend. Make your bed. Tell your dog you love her. I want to elicit change. And I want you to be where it starts.
Let’s grow together!
