Beauty in the Wildness: Embracing the Imperfections that are in Nature and in the Home

Right from the starting gate, motherhood for me has been about lowering expectations. It has been a daily journey of longing to be more put together but then ultimately setting aside the things I can't attain. I had my ducks in a pretty straight row before there were small persons needing larger portions of myself than I even knew existed. 

Some days I find the delicate balance between dreams and grace. Taking a deep breath and choosing to see the brevity of life and the fleeting season before me is usually a route I can find. But occasionally, I feel like it's all falling apart, like I can't juggle the plates anymore. Some days I feel like a complete failure.

But I have found over the years that nature provides lessons for all people, at all stages, and in all walks of life. And on a particular day this past summer when the daily demands seemed insurmountable, I happened to glance around me and take in the wildness of the summer, the bits of nature peaking through every crack, the weeds reaching for the sun. And when I saw these things, I saw beauty. I saw the beauty of the wildness, of the unkempt and the unpredictable. I saw how all of it wove together into a masterpiece of elegance.

When the lawn is no longer manicured and the wild daisies and the foxgloves sneak in, a new canvas is created. When the wild brambles of the black raspberry bushes run wild and free, we can find sweet sustenance. The weeds that have their own power and mindset can delight the children and feed the goats. The blanket of moss greens, fern greens, forest greens, and pine greens has the capacity to provide healing and relaxation.

Nature gently reminds me to let things go and embrace the unpredictabilities that are synonymous with parenting. When I surrender something altogether different and magnificent is created.