Hello there! I'm Kate. This blog is about me--a flawed, anxious, impulsive human--living an intentional life. I can't and won't put out the spark in me, but I'd like to learn how to master it, for the betterment of myself and the people I love and interact with everyday. I will never be perfect and I hope that puts you at ease. My barometer of success is the answer to this question -- "Do I appear approachable to strangers?" I know I'm living well if someone's asked me asked me for directions in the last month, because that means I'm giving off an air of friendly competency.
Other stuffs:
I'm a Christian. I believe that faith is as unique as a fingerprint.
For me, I know that I'm better, kinder, braver and stronger when I
acknowledge that God is with me, and turn to him when I'm fed up with
earth (once an hour, on a good day). I'm attempting to bring a mindfulness meditation practice into my prayer time, and urge all people, and especially Christians who have been led to believe that meditation is not congruent with their religion, to try it out. The bible, like most religious documents, instructs us to make time to be still and quiet; to think on lovely, true things; and to renew your mind--sounds good to me.
I'm a mom to two boys. They are the loudest, most destructive and lovable creatures I've ever met. They love to move and hate to sleep and are objectively hilarious. I am fiercely everything at them every day.
I'm a wife. I want to be a better one and sometimes, sometimes, when I've reached the correct balance of sleep and wine, I can be charming and nice to my hardworking, genuine, kind, forgiving, lifeline of a husband.
I'm a daughter, sister, cousin, niece, friend, and neighbor. Relationships are messy, but I believe in the power and necessity of community. We absolutely need each other. Every person on earth has value and expertise.
I'm a worker. My dream job is real. I work part-time in a creative, flexible position that pays for high quality childcare. I believe this is the holy grail of employment and I hope I can hold on to it as long as possible. Since becoming a mom I've been in an every-second-battle to figure a blend of kids and family and work and play and growth. I usually side with the kids. However, I'm beginning to see that a professional outlet makes me feel more equipped as a mother, and look forward to the trial and error it will take to find a satisfactory balance.
I'm a homemaker. My husband is, too. We value the hard, good work of keeping a home (i.e. cooking and cleaning) and believe it keeps us humble and connected. We love our small house and don't travel much. However, in my opening I stated I'm impulsive. It's true. I could probably be diagnosed with adult ADHD. Therefore, tidiness is difficult for me. I'm continually devising systems, routines and rhythms to make cleanliness happen, and we're getting there, but, we have small kids, and our home typically looks like it belongs to an absent-minded professor and his herd of wild dogs--books, paper, clothes, crumbs and crayon marks EVERYWHERE. If you're a neat freak, first I think you need to meditate on the source of your anxiety and addiction to order, and second, we should probably hang out some place besides my house. However, if a rumpled home doesn't bother you, or you can chill for an hour, we make really good soup and you're always welcome.
I'm a midwesterner. The longer I live, the more content I am to be here in the middle of America. I love everything about the middle west and I'll be here forever.
