This is one of your best, darling. I’ve never been into astrology/tarot but I have a friend who is. She didn’t know my birthday but got a “Leo energy” from me and (she was right) so I looked into my natal chart and laughed heartily at how on the nose some of it was.
For instance, I’m truly a nobody. An at home parent, no career, just a person. But I *feel* like a “somebody.” This card speaks to me: I’ve frequently done things I have no business doing because it doesn’t occur to me that I’m not qualified/important/experienced enough. I don’t do well with hierarchies or chains of command. (Not in like a Karen type of way, but more like a kid who isn’t intimated by the adult they’re talking to.) Often, these leaps work out well for me and I end up with cool experience or an interesting new friend. Then again none of my leaps have ever involved a financial or safety gamble. It’s usually just my ego at risk 😂
Things and people are seldom the way they appear. I stay away from magazines and blogs that leave me feeling less than because I don't have the latest 'gadgets'. I am grateful for what I have and I try to keep up with myself only ( not easy) We live in a society where we love things and use people. I have to learn to be more adventurous. I only have one life and it's up to me to live it the way I want while respecting the right for others to live theirs the way they want. Caroline, I LOVE your authenticity and your simplicity. Thank you for sharing! Always a pleasure to read you!
I love this! Wasn't sure what to expect from the title :) but I feel like I am in the exact same place in life as you. My husband and I bought a house a couple years ago. We wanted a mortgage that one of us could afford without issue if the other lost his/her job, decided to do something else/take a pay cut, etc. Two years later, I decided to quit my job and go back to school. We are so fortunate that it's been easy for us to adjust financially and not really have to cut back on much.
But I can still find myself in the same rat race that you fell into by looking at the fancy magazine. Sometimes I think we need a "grown-up" house with a foyer and a living room that is separate from the family space. But then I have to take a breath and question where that comes from. We are so happy in our home; we use every inch of it. We have just enough stuff - everything we need and most of what we want but not so much that there is clutter and just more possessions to have more possessions. The reason I think I need a foyer is to impress (?) the (few) friends and acquaintances we have over (occasionally).
Your piece didn't exactly touch on this, but it made me think about the intent behind minimalism. I am not a minimalist by any means, but I have cut back a lot on my consumption for environmental reasons and also because I finally realized (after too many dollars spent/not saved) that the accumulation of beautiful things does not make my life more meaningful or me more content.
Thank you, as always, for these pieces that make your readers think and explore the why.
"happiness charade" ... Reminds me of my life pre-ending my decades-long relationship. *gulp!* 😳
The description of the Fool being a free spirit made me ponder the other descriptions...."Narcisissitic??", I wondered. So many of the descriptors made me contemplate the individualistic and narcissistic tendencies of this Fool.
Yikes! Perhaps the Fool can be multiple things at once? 🤔
LOL... Schizophrenic Narcissist maybe?? All the LOLing is @ me!!!
New Yorkers don’t need pizza ovens. ;) Pizza ovens only exist because not all of us live (anymore, sniff) in the city with the greatest pizza in the world. :)
This is one of your best, darling. I’ve never been into astrology/tarot but I have a friend who is. She didn’t know my birthday but got a “Leo energy” from me and (she was right) so I looked into my natal chart and laughed heartily at how on the nose some of it was.
For instance, I’m truly a nobody. An at home parent, no career, just a person. But I *feel* like a “somebody.” This card speaks to me: I’ve frequently done things I have no business doing because it doesn’t occur to me that I’m not qualified/important/experienced enough. I don’t do well with hierarchies or chains of command. (Not in like a Karen type of way, but more like a kid who isn’t intimated by the adult they’re talking to.) Often, these leaps work out well for me and I end up with cool experience or an interesting new friend. Then again none of my leaps have ever involved a financial or safety gamble. It’s usually just my ego at risk 😂
Things and people are seldom the way they appear. I stay away from magazines and blogs that leave me feeling less than because I don't have the latest 'gadgets'. I am grateful for what I have and I try to keep up with myself only ( not easy) We live in a society where we love things and use people. I have to learn to be more adventurous. I only have one life and it's up to me to live it the way I want while respecting the right for others to live theirs the way they want. Caroline, I LOVE your authenticity and your simplicity. Thank you for sharing! Always a pleasure to read you!
I love this! Wasn't sure what to expect from the title :) but I feel like I am in the exact same place in life as you. My husband and I bought a house a couple years ago. We wanted a mortgage that one of us could afford without issue if the other lost his/her job, decided to do something else/take a pay cut, etc. Two years later, I decided to quit my job and go back to school. We are so fortunate that it's been easy for us to adjust financially and not really have to cut back on much.
But I can still find myself in the same rat race that you fell into by looking at the fancy magazine. Sometimes I think we need a "grown-up" house with a foyer and a living room that is separate from the family space. But then I have to take a breath and question where that comes from. We are so happy in our home; we use every inch of it. We have just enough stuff - everything we need and most of what we want but not so much that there is clutter and just more possessions to have more possessions. The reason I think I need a foyer is to impress (?) the (few) friends and acquaintances we have over (occasionally).
Your piece didn't exactly touch on this, but it made me think about the intent behind minimalism. I am not a minimalist by any means, but I have cut back a lot on my consumption for environmental reasons and also because I finally realized (after too many dollars spent/not saved) that the accumulation of beautiful things does not make my life more meaningful or me more content.
Thank you, as always, for these pieces that make your readers think and explore the why.
"happiness charade" ... Reminds me of my life pre-ending my decades-long relationship. *gulp!* 😳
The description of the Fool being a free spirit made me ponder the other descriptions...."Narcisissitic??", I wondered. So many of the descriptors made me contemplate the individualistic and narcissistic tendencies of this Fool.
Yikes! Perhaps the Fool can be multiple things at once? 🤔
LOL... Schizophrenic Narcissist maybe?? All the LOLing is @ me!!!
I'm a hammer and all I can see are nails!! 🔨
A million times - yes.
New Yorkers don’t need pizza ovens. ;) Pizza ovens only exist because not all of us live (anymore, sniff) in the city with the greatest pizza in the world. :)