Laurie,
You have captured the beauty and drudgery, joy and grief, of growing in the understanding of the difference between living the daily details of the actions of caregiving informed by love versus having only the head knowledge of the names and descriptions of those actions. Your acceptance that life means embracing reality and it’s disappointments, as well as its joys, rather than holding onto to even good expectations is powerful. Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

Thank you so much for sharing, Laurie; that was beautifully written and absolutely inspiring. Thank you for the reminder that, no matter what life has dealt us, we can (and we’re meant to) be the very best version of ourselves RIGHT THERE. All the best to you and your very blessed children. ?

Life is a beautiful thing, but too often we complicate things. involuntary gestures or thoughts generated by anxiety take us out of reality. we must be conscious and live positively.

Laurie, thank you for this. I have trouble expressing myself and you have done it perfectly for me. This account is absolutely beautiful and truthful to my life. I take great comfort in knowing that I’m not alone in all this. Thank you.

antimaximalist.com/20-simple-living-tips-for-2020/

Wow! Is this straight from the heart? Are you a writer by chance? Because this is such an impressive read. If this were 100 chapters of a novel, I’ll read on. Captivating, touching, pathetic and eulogizing all at once.

Laurie, It has really supported me in being a parent of a child with special needs to participate in a group where others understand. This can be a group that meets in person or is available on-line or perhaps FB. It is essential to be heard by others who truly “get it” because they are walking the same walk.

That was beautiful! You are exactly who you need to be and your children are very lucky to have you!

M – I don’t know if you will see this. I too had a workplace bully & absolutely no one deserves to work with a bully.

You will get stronger & find a better job.

I wish I had something more substantial to offer – just wanted you to know that you are not alone.

Also, as I read this post I was reminded of a quote that Angel and you referred to in the Simplicity chapter of your book:

“Life is actually pretty simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

Point taken! Thank you, thank you, yet again!

I, too, had to learn to let go of who I thought I would be and embrace who I actually am. And I found the visual reminders of who I wasn’t was weighing me down. However, it was at such a subconscious level, I didn’t realize it unti I started removing the items from our home. It was like layers of guilt were being shed the more I purged.

Then I realized that was a negative analogy, so I decided to think of it like a flower blooming or a butterfly emerging. Much prettier, right?

So bloom away! You will love the flower or butterfly that you really are. Hugs!

And I will counter point the “lost priorities” effect. People know their priorities, but its the constant pressure to settle for small trade-offs that cripple you over time. One less day vacation. Working even though your sick. Cutting down recovery time from ailments or surgery because you will be “so far behind.” A couple of extra hours Sunday morning. Checking email over Memorial Day…..

You want to treat downtime and vacation like an appointment. I always keep one day of the work week a “light day” by blocking out a four hour block of time. Its now “busy” to the outside world, but its all mine. If someone tries to schedule a meeting, I decline it or find another time where the team can meet. By the way, that time is Thursday afternoons, like right now.

Lastly, put away the screens. I read all about people who “got rid of their TV’s” but now are on the internet “learning”, “researching”, “connecting” or “communicating.” REALLY? Visit with people in person. Call five friends you have not talked to in a year or more, even if you just leave messages. I tried it last year, and found out it took leaving three messages on average BEFORE anyone called me back.

Try handwriting a letter, send a card with printed photos, just don’t stare at the screen. It will never love you back.

Enjoy!