My true potential

I used to think housekeeping and the mindset that supported it was demeaning and dependence-driven. In those days of high-flying Rhonda, power and independence were demonstrated by having enough money to get others to look after my home for me. I knew a home was a necessity but I didn't realise its significance. I didn't take the time to get to know my own home until I gave up work - there was something calling me back home but I didn't know how much I would be changed by being here until I surrendered all thoughts of the outside world, slowed down and focused on living to my true potential.

Now that I've cut myself off from the overtly commercial world and shop only for needs rather than wants, I have come to see the domestic world I live in with kinder eyes, and I appreciate it much more than I ever did before. I know now that I am more independent than I have ever been. I am not tied down by debt, contracts, fashion, trying to prove myself to indifferent people or wanting to be more than I am or have more than I need.

I had forgotten that cooking a meal at night was not just about food but also nutrition, health, integrity, reliability and the most effective way of drawing a growing family close each day. Until I took up my knitting needles I didn't fully understand the satisfaction of using and wearing hand made. Smelling the aroma of home made bread awoke in me the memory of it when I was little - my father was a baker. All these things, and more, helped me come back to myself. The softness of my home made it a place of peace and comfort, it was easy to be here and when I made it the productive and creative place I needed it to be I didn't want to leave.

I am happiest when I am working at home, knowing that my family is happy and healthy and well on the way to building their own lives. When I keep my house as clean as a whistle, take time out for knitting, watching the chooks and the wild birds and gardening, when I cut, pin and sew each afternoon and cook a good meal from our backyard each day, I consider that success of the finest order. But I don't just live for what I can do for myself and my family, I live also so that I can give to others and therefore I spend time on my blog and forum, I volunteer in the community and help where I can. There are never enough hours.

I guess the biggest surprise for me about living a life focused on home is the independence and power that comes from that. Gone are the days when I looked for validation in shopping malls and being just like my contemporaries. Now I'm pleased to stand apart, I don't want to be like anyone else, I don't bother about fashion or trends, I know now that my true value is more complex than that.

There is a feeling of control and self-reliance that comes from getting my house in order, from growing vegetables and fruit; planning out a day; knowing how to store and prepare wholesome food; from working out a frugal budget and sticking to it; being creative and skillful enough to produce the majority of my family's needs; learning how to get the best from what we own and to use those assets to help us live well; and by being prepared, emotionally and financially, for hard times, while working towards and celebrating times of abundance and family growth.

I am not going to say that living as I do is right for everyone but I'm pleased I know now that it's right for me. I know now that my home is a reflection of me and that getting to know my home and becoming comfortable here helped me understand myself and my place in the world. Being here at home has given me direction, it's enriched my life and made me a better person than I was. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter much how I live but when groups of us live in a purposeful way, it does make a difference. One of the absolute pleasures of writing here as I do is that I have come to know there are many who live in a thoughtful and purposeful way, and for that I am ever thankful.

I hope you have a beautiful week.