With all this marching, blogging, meeting-up, organizing, canning, taking back filters and general super-hero-ness, what is sustaining you? Have you been too busy to get a good night's sleep? What about taking the time to eat an entire meal, from start to finish without answering the phone, cutting someone else's food or rushing out the door for a commitment? Are you feeling over-extended, tired, cranky, headachey or burnt out? Or maybe all of them at once?
Yeah, me too. So, what sustains you? Sometimes we are so busy sustaining our world, sustaining our children or our household we forget we need a little support to sustain ourselves. For me, that's where all of you come in. At the end of the night, I switch on my computer to find bloggers who lend a sympathetic ear, offer advice, recipes and thoughtful comments that sustain me.
And then, that's where the APLS come in. Yes, there is an upcoming APLS carnival post about living sustainably, but this isn't my submission, that will come later. The APLS blog is a place to find someone to lean on, someone to offer a helping hand or someone to sustain you when you need it most. Jump on in to the bushel basket to connect with other APLS, find your regional group to talk to local APLS (If you're a Great Lakes APLS, join me here) and chances are you will find another APLS who will be someone you can count on, someone to guide you or someone to help you along your journey. There is strength in numbers and when we support each other, we sustain ourselves.
14 comments:
Oh, just what I needed right now. A reminder that we need to sustain ourselves. I get so busy doing this and that - green living, raising children, building community, etc. I do not to sometimes stop and just be with me. I do find that in blog land. The support, the network, the decompression.
Also, I am so happy that you are organizing the Great Lakes region! This is going to be great!
I can relate to this one for sure. Things have been crazy here for over a year now. I had a very competitive year of school followed by graduation & the stress of studying for board exams followed immediately by wedding planning. 2 more weeks to go until I'm a Mrs. & then hopefully I can relax!! I was thinking today that friends I've made recently don't even know what I'm like when I'm not frazzled & overloaded.
I sustain myself by doing simple things: weeding & mulching the garden is a favorite along with watching the chickens. It is fun after I feed them just to see how they socialize and peck around. I also try to read a little bit every night before I fall asleep to put good, hopeful thoughts in my head. My current pick is Root Cellaring.
Oh, and although it is a LOT of work, I will say canning & preserving lately how been very rewarding. I just heard a jar go pop! as I type this. Thats good stuff!
Reading sustains me. Always has. I'd be lost without it and I don't mean skimming things online. It's the hard copy newspaper in the morning with my coffee and the book curled up in bed at night. My bookends.
Right now I'm reading Michael Pollan's 'Botany of Desire'. It's so delightful. It's about our co-existence with plants. I've just finished the first chapter on apples and Johnny Appleseed.
I'd like to find some APLS in my area of SoCal - the Conejo Valley or West San Fernando Valley. I'd go as far as West LA or north to Santa Barbara if I had to. Guess I'll put out the word at the Carnival.
It is a funny transition we take from being single to being married then being married with children. Somedays I do stop to remind myself who I am.
Your post articulates this message well that we all seem to go through this a bit.
My business and going for a run sustain me. Most times I take my daughter running in the stroller with me so my husband can find some "sustain" time too.
I wouldn't trade my life in for single life for anything though! My life is a charmed, crazy life even if it is hard to find time to take a breath!
Jeanne
www.greenergrassnotes.com
www.greenergrassnotes.blogspot.com
GB - I agree, between kids, work, community there isn't always time for yourself. Sometimes you have to schedule time for yourself! And, I am excited to be the regional host, so many have responded already, I think it's going to be wonderful!
Jena - wedding stress is just about the worst! When it's over, yes you will be able to breathe again. And, I'm with you on the canning, it's very time consuming, yet calming at the same time!
Bobbi - sounds like you are looking to sign yourself up as a regional leader?? hint, hint?
GGNI - Running, walking, reading, you're right, we all need to take a minute and do something for ourselves!!
I do appreciate the reminder to set aside some time to sustain ourselves.
Walking the dog, listening to Chopin on my train ride home from work, and weeding in the veggie patch seem to be my current favorite recentering activities. Reading has been a staple for me throughout my life, though I've moved away from it for now because there just aren't enough hours in the day (too bad I can't read on the train, but motion sickness quashed that). Hopefully I can re-jigger things to add that back into my routine soon.
I'm not sure I'm up to going it alone, but if there's anyone out there who wants to co-chair a Midwest APLS group (I'm in St. Louis), I'd be willing to share...
Or, if I'd found the Facebook page earlier, I'd have realized the Great Lakes region may include my humble abode. There's a bit of confusion about that, but since it doesn't look like there are a ton of us in the lower Midwest, I'd like to join if you'll have me!
Lori, I think we could definitely use a couple people covering the Midwest. EBM could cover the lakes, and you could cover the lower Midwest?
EBM, what do you think?
Bobbi, sorry I just found you as I'm just now LEAVING LA!!
Notice Bobbi as she rushes behind a tree. She's hiding...
OK, I'll coordinate something in my end of the LA region. We are a big place so you'll need a few of us.
Ruchi aka Arduous - where did you live? Good luck wherever you're going. I hope it has public transportation.
Gardening sustains me. I love to weed, deadhead,and pick around the garden. And if I am really lucky, I get to see the bees hovering around my plants. It is a beautiful site.
I currently live in the city itself in one of the few areas that is actually pretty PT accessible. (Don't like to get TOO specific in public.) I take PT to work when I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I'm moving to London though where I am excited to take PT every day!
Wonderful post. I've tweeted about going out for walks, needing to be green to see the green. I suspect far more of the "green bloggers" spend more time in front of the computer screen than communing with nature.
Are you blogging about gardening but not doing it? We need to take stock.
Notice that I have had this open to read for many days. Smile. Actually, I have been taking much more time to go do stuff outside with my kids this summer instead of blogging! And it has been SO worth it. I love, love your post and reminder. I totally find support and community through green bloggers and apls and burbs' yahoogroup. That's what I think of when I consider just bagging the blogging -- how much I would miss the ideas and people like you! So I am hooked but so open to ways we can get each other to keep taking care of ourselves.
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