We have a few more weeks before school beings, which causes me to pause and reflect, especially as I consider that this will be the first time in nearly 9 years that all of my children will be in school 5 days a week. Granted, the youngest will be doing half days, but still, this feels like a whole new world. I can hardly remember the days before my babies were here. As we transition and begin, the word "brave" comes up a fair amount around here, especially as we get ready for new teachers, riding the bus again, new activities, routines, and unknowns.
Parenting through each transition for each child and their different personalities requires a bravery in a way I could never have comprehended before being smack in the middle of it. I talk with them about how even grown-ups need bravery - when letting go of stuff, when building relationships, when meeting a new client, not having all the answers, saying no, saying yes.
As I reflect, I can see how I have grown in bravery. It was in those early baby years I opened my first etsy shop with cards made from repurposed paper, as well as starting a blog called Beauty Fully Used all about making eco-friendly choices. When the next baby came, the blogging trickled out, and so did the card-making, but I did keep crafting. When friends adopted I felt a nudge on my heart to hold a craft sale to help them fundraise. Isn't it funny that sometimes we say yes to paths that we don't know are leading somewhere specific, but we couldn't have "planned" it that way. Little did I know all this would lead to participating in craft fairs, opening another etsy shop, as well as helping families minimize, organize, and style their homes to tell their stories, with sustainability in mind.
I had dreams even before then, more than a decade ago, about becoming a professional organizer, but the voices in my head told me I wasn't an entrepreneur. That's more in my husbands lane. That involved risk and vulnerability, and I wasn't a risk-taker.
Eventually I read somewhere about thinking about how you spent your time as a child. What did you enjoy most? I clearly knew that I have been sorting and organizing and ordering my world since way back then. I've been a maker as long as these fingers could hold a marker or scissors. A little boost of courage. I watched dear ones go through the worst of circumstances and, out of necessity, get back out there and do incredible work. If someone with unfair obstacles can be out in the world, I absolutely can. Then there is community. You say yes to volunteer opportunities that push you out of your comfort zone and also build your confidence. Dear ones come alongside you and push you past your fears, remind you what is true. And you take a deeper breath. Bravery. You then realize that maybe you are spending some (or too much) of your time in areas that is not your gifting - and that you have to begin saying "no". More bravery. And as Jessica Honegger of Noonday Collection says in her podcast, "Going Scared" is an important way to go. Bravery - It is there, under the surface, as I have ebbed and flowed through these little pivots of work and family and life.
I'm sharing all this because as these babies of mine head to school, I'm going to keep being brave and vulnerable as I help you create artful spaces that make you smile. I'm going to offer resources and more content that you can come back to when you need ideas, but more importantly encouragement. I'll be sharing more before and afters and so much more. Thanks for coming along this journey with me.
Would love to hear how you are walking brave as finish up summer....
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Everything in the etsy shop is 30% off in August, including the Brave notecards pictured above, as I celebrate my 3rd anniversary of Joy in the Midst AND my upcoming 39th birthday.
