From time to time I briefly observe the remarkable sights of other peoples blogs and websites. It’s both an experience of awe and total disenchantment to me. Awe at others endeavours and successes. Disenchantment on reflection of our own current state of utter chaos and the relentlessness of working through the mundane list of chores that line the path to the flicker of hope, the glimmer of the shiny vision of what could be – if we keep going. It’s a grand vision. It has to be. I would have stopped years ago otherwise.
Will it be worth it?
Probably not. Not unless we remain committed to sticking to the plan.
With each day, I know I have to take what the day gives. To continue to work through the new distractions, the fatigue, the days I get up early and go to my day job. There is often so much more happening in and around our home life that I joke to people that I go to work in my spare time. I take inspiration from such blogs as The New Good Life, Growing with Plants, the realness and down-to-earth postings at Much More Mulch.
The day to day observations and captured images of Tony Tomeo take me beyond our own little emerging paradise and remind me of my travels. Of the world that lies out there beyond our little forming paradise.
I realise that much of the disenchantment I feel stems from seeking order and organisation. Natural beauty. All the while being surrounded by visions to the contrary. A seemingly ever-increasing list of jobs to do. To work through. I’ve been through this landscape of lists before and I’ve overcome them. I was however, never prepared for the magnitude of what it would take for this current endeavour or the time it would take. Let alone navigating through it while raising two young boys and in contrast, managing the requirements of my Mother-in-law.
At any rate, when the days work is done I reflect on what has gone before. I wouldn’t say it feels rewarding. It’s just the subtlest feeling of moving closer that mildly satisfies for now. Scattered through the day are moments when the notebook is taken from my pocket and scribbled with ideas, dreams, sketches and reminders of goals being worked towards.
The Notebook is proof that something other than present circumstances are at work. The ideas captured within are reminders that I’m in for the long haul.
Petit Paradis 
Hi Julien, thanks for the mention – I like the realities your posts, because in a way it is such a similar journey. Ours is definitely not all endeavour and achievement. While we blog about this or that cool little project that is almost finished, the kikuyu is taking over the apple orchard, the citrus are (still) battling against the couch, the chicken coup has been lying waiting in kit form for 4 months already, I’m a week behind turning the compost, the shed is in shambles and like yours, the list of projects just grow and grow. We just don’t always blog about those, unless we end up doing something about it to get it off the list. And we don’t even have a house move, which is a huge impact!, as an “excuse”. Ha ha I joke to people I go to my day job to rest 🙂 Keep making those lists and plans mate, eventually you get to them – it sure is worth it!
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Thanks for the reply Martin. In grappling with the present reality it is rewarding to be able to tick things off the list. And as some projects wait in line – like our new garden beds – it hasn’t stopped me from building up our worm farms and composting areas, starting up container gardens with vegetable matter from the kitchen and sorting out various resources to make things a little easier when I come to complete projects. It is, after all, the journey that matters and I know that by recording aspects of it, it will be amazing to look back on in the future. For us and the Little Fellas.
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As a columnist who writes mostly simple gardening articles, I do not put much thought into how frustrating the subject matter of the articles of others can be. I mean, they and you write about their own gardens, homes, projects, livestock, cooking, lifestyles or life challenges. I suppose I have some of that too, but I am pleased that I do not need to write about it so much. It would be difficult to write about such frustrating topics without losing my cool. (I have considered writing a blog about a particular frustrating topic, but would prefer to get this writing under control first.) Do you think that, as frustrating as it is, that it might actually be a wee bit more frustrating if you did not take the time to write and think about it?
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It may be less frustrating NOT WRITING about it. For sure. If I don’t focus on it, not a problem. Though I am aware that the reason for my writing is to create a record or a snap-shot of what has occurred and what we have worked through. Our blog is not so much dedicated to a particular market or designed to generate money. It is a record keeping device. To preserve some form of diary or journal so that the Little Fellas can look back some day (if they wish) and see a record of what has gone before. After all, it is a web-log = Blog.
Another aspect to this is that I could just write about much more appealing subjects (which I have previously) but I also want our boys to be able to see the cause and effects of things. In particular the not so appealing side of hoarding and not letting stuff go. How enslaving it can be. Mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally. The blog is a great way to record this over time. I would love to and aspire to write about much more elegant and beautiful subjects and I’m sure the day will come. They will be of interest and they will be inspiring, because they have grown out of some pretty awful situations and some pain.
The perfume of the bloom is arresting, not because of the plant, but because of the muck the plant has grown in!
I am naturally optimistic too, so if it is too frustrating and I don’t see a silver lining, I tend to just leave it. Hence the gap in posts earlier this year (plus I was extra busy). There is a sort of therapeutic quality to writing also.
Blogs like yours Tony keep me fuelled and looking forward to that time. They also encourage me to look for the beauty. I’m sure you will see some of this in more immediate posts to come. Thank you!
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Goodness! I find this to be extremely flattering, but also ironic. I only write what I do because I have been a garden columnist for almost twenty years, since October of 1998. It is not something I chose to do. It just happened, and I happened to enjoy it, and somehow continued to do it through the rest of my failed career. What makes it ironic is that, once I am able to resume my career, and go back to a more relaxed schedule of writing, I would like to also write about some very unpleasant topics that no one else wants to write about. Like my gardening column, I never intended to do so, but started doing it in a very minor way when it needed to be done, but there was no one else to to it. We have a very minor Facebook page, ‘Felton League’, that has (in the past) done a lot for those whom the topics are about. I would like to write a blog about it too, not because I think it will benefit anyone anymore, but because so many would find such topics and insight to be of interest.
Wow, I am sorry to get so carried away.
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