I remember when I first started “reading” the news on-line. My hubby had just bought me a tablet, and I was excited to see what I could do with it. Yeah, I was late coming to the media game. Growing up without running water and electricity and can do that to a person. But hey, better late than never, right?

As I flipped through the options of articles to read, a blog caught my attention. I can’t remember the title. I do remember that it was something to do with achieving your life goals. There was this young, beautiful thin brunette with long hair, light floral lounge pants, sandals. She had a huge, happy smile on her face. Twinkling eyes, as she laughed at the cameraman in the sky. A drink in one hand, sun shining on the water, chill’axen on a rope swing, without a care in the world. Yeah, I wanted to be that girl. Who wouldn’t? I read the article.

Well, I tried to read the article. Honestly, I gave it my best effort to see the world through her gorgeous eyes. I spent most of the time disagreeing and snarling at the author. 

Apparently, life ends shortly after 30. If you haven’t done something with yourself by the time you’re 25, you are in serious danger of being a failure. You should have all the items in your bucket list well on the way to being completed by the time you’re 30. You should have a clearly laid out plan for completing said list, funding your early retirement, and starting a new “retirement bucket list” by the time you’re 50. 
You gotta hit the ground running straight outta high school with the right college and all the college experiences, so choose your sorority carefully! Make sure you build your connections right and keep that media presence strong while you party your way through adulthood. 

Have you ever heard such a crock of BS!!!! OMG!!

I seriously can’t be the only woman in the world over 40 who hasn’t even started to work on her bucket list. I refuse to believe that I am a failure for not achieving society’s markers of success by the time I turned 30. No way on God’s green earth that I will swallow that pill.

I’m sure that there are some ladies, somewhere, that do that. But your average chica? No way. Ain’t happening. At least, in my 45 plus years, I have yet to see anyone achieve the timeline laid out by that author. 

How about an alternative? Where is the “other side of this coin?” That is my “WHY?” Expose the myth and share an alternative. I know I can’t be the only woman on this planet who has questioned their worth because of societal drivel like that article. I know I am not the only women who has looked in the mirror and thought they were not good enough, for, whatever, you name it, because of the media messaging.

I say, “Enough!”

That is not the message I want my daughter to hear. That is not how I want my son to think of women. I want my daughter to be a strong woman of character and focus who understands that it is her life to live, and she gets to set the benchmarks, not society. I want all women to know that they are enough, just the way God made them. They don’t need some photoshopped media diva telling them what they should have done and when. The choice is theirs. It’s yours. It’s mine.

I want my son to know these things and develop a healthy, mature attitude towards women as equals. I want them both to look towards their father and me as one example of what a healthy adult relationship can be like. I want to show them, through example, what mutual respect,, supporting your partner’s dreams, and being equally yoked can produce.

Are You happy? Is there Joy in your life? Even when things are hectic and the world is falling down around you, can you take a deep breath and say, with honesty, that you’re glad to be alive today?

I can. I couldn’t always say that. But I can. And I strive every day to stay in that balanced state of mind, centered and fully present. I invite you to join me and walk down this path.
I’ll be sharing my life story in bits and pieces, insights I’ve earned along the way, and the mental exercises I put myself through to stay centered and balanced in this unbalanced world. You’ll learn my favorite recipes and why I believe that gut health and mental health are more than kissing cousins; they’re conjoined twins. I’ll show you my messy gardens (that one day will be a beautiful park, yes I keep my head in the clouds) and my tiny farm. I’ll share my failures, as well as tips and tricks on how I make it all function. In short, I’ll share my “Why?” and maybe help you find yours.