Just Be You

Sometimes you leave a new place changed...

I felt my self awareness grow as I walked up the quarter mile drive way, past the fancy cars and well manicured lawn. Up to literally the biggest house I have ever entered. I was going into a new place with new people and new surroundings.

I’m nearly 46 years old. This should not be a problem. This should not make me feel nervous. This should not feel like the first day of high school…..

I was welcomed with a smile and I was surrounded by kind faces and beauty of the high-end variety. I realized I was wearing a glorified tee-shirt, white, with a long, black, cotton skirt. I had worn this to church this morning and felt perfectly at ease, but I’m now realizing I had also worn this skirt to milk a cow and feed the chickens on days past. I felt a little less sure of my choice of attire now….

And my self awareness grew even greater.

I watched, with a mother’s pride, my eldest daughter work her magic. She can make anyone feel special; feel important. She takes a breath, smiles big, and speaks joy into each conversation, but I know the real personal cost she pays after these types of events are ended. She will have knots in her shoulders for days.

I watch my youngest daughter brave new faces and conversations that I know induces stress for her. She will go to sleep with a headache tonight. But, she puts aside herself and shines her light in a new place with a type of meek kindness only she can share.

My eyes are wide open.

I notice beautiful dresses.

I notice a perfectly clean house.

I notice ladies holding their punch glasses perfectly, never spilling a drop (I sure do love punch….).

I notice friends chatting with one another in perfect comfort.

I notice a decorative museum piece in the corner and wonder what it is and the story behind it….but I realize that this is someone’s home which explains the lack of signage explaining its significance to me.

Again I notice my shirt.

No one else has a shirt on, save for the man that isn’t even supposed to be here, but lives here, and his shirt is covered with a suit coat and tie. I am glad I wore my nicest shoes, the ones I got at the thrift store for a lot more than I would have ever paid if they hadn’t been the brand that makes my favorite farm boots.

I do have a friend there, several actually. One introduces me to someone who she knows I will have some commonality with….her farming friend…who loves pigs.

This makes me smile to think that I am known as the girl who would have something in common with a pig-lover.

I reach out my hand to greet this beautifully simple lady and am so glad when she asks me about my milk cow. We talk about goats, chickens, farm chores, kids growing up, and then we move on from one another, hoping to someday meet again. Later, I realized we are even more kindred spirits than I realized when, while watching her pose for a group picture, I see an “ALDI” keychain hanging off of her leather purse.

I wonder if she feels out of place here in all this fancy beauty.

But, she didn’t seem to feel out of place. She looked as though she felt comfortably confident. Like she can feel safe and secure in her own skin, no matter her surroundings. I loved that image. A farm girl at perfect harmony with herself in the midst of the fanciest of homes, fine china and untitled museum pieces.

And, as I leave that beautiful home and my new friend, I know exactly what I want to write about.

It’s what I want to teach my all-but-grown girls. It’s what I want to learn myself.

Be happy and feel safe being YOU. No matter where you are. Be YOU.

There’s no one else like YOU. You are the only YOU there is. The world needs YOU. The world needs YOU to BE YOU. Because, if YOU are trying to be anyone else, that spot is already taken. And the world would lose a lot of color if YOU lived your life blending in.

I needed that beautiful lady in her simple green dress with her Aldi keychain and welcoming smile to remind me that I can be my own colorful, lovely and kind shade of myself—no matter where I am.

And so can YOU.

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There is one place where I feel perfectly comfortable.

Home.

I love being home. I love the people I share my home with. I love the crazy, chaotic, joyfully vibrant happy that makes up its atmosphere.

And, I really enjoy spending time with my people, my family.

We had such a great time making dinner together the other night.

Even though we were filming it for others to watch, it was a pure delight to be together and laugh together. If you want to watch our fun dinner creation and cook-off, you can watch it HERE.

And, if you haven’t subscribed to Home Made Simple on YouTube, I hope you will! This Friday’s video is chock full of “Throw & Go” slow cooker dinner ideas that will be perfect for the busy nights of Spring.

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I guess that’s about all for this week’s newsletter….short and sweet today…..

If you have any content suggestions, I would love to hear them!!! So make sure and leave a comment down below.

I will try to come up with a few recipes to share with you next week, so be sure and subscribe so you’ll get them right in your email inbox!

I hope you have a wonderful week!

I love you!!!