Are you a homebody?
It's probably the most accurate description of me, my youngest daughter Blossom, my oldest daughter Kezzie, and my best friend Rosie. We really are homebodies, and we can all say that with no hint of dissatisfaction or a need to apologise. It's quite simply who we are and who we've always been.
I had a long phone chat with Kezzie yesterday morning, over numerous cups of tea and raspberry oat muffins. Though we are three states apart and may not see each other face to face for a long time due to Covid lockdowns and closed state borders, we still find a way to enjoy morning tea together.
We talked a lot about how she and the boys are faring in a state that is almost always in lockdown or under restrictions and one thing she said really confirmed to me that we are very much alike. "Mumma, I don't think it affects me as much as it does many other people. I'm a homebody, you know that, and apart from the inconvenience of needing to shop sometimes and not being able to hop on a plane to come visit you and Blossom, we're really quite content nestled here in our home and garden."
This morning I was out shopping with Blossom and the three little ones; we do one big shop about every six or eight weeks and today was the day to gather and build on our supplies. A couple of hours in and it was time to stop for a cuppa and let the two girls play for a while in the little indoor farmhouse at the rather quiet shopping centre, feed little Charlie David, and grab a sandwich before heading off to another store for the next leg of our pantry gathering excursion.
As we sat and sipped chai lattes, Charlie well fed and snuggled against Blossom's shoulder, we talked of how Kezzie's love for home mirrored our own, and of the contentment we each feel taking care of our families, intentionally creating a sanctuary where they can relax and feel safe to be themselves, knowing they are loved unconditionally and listened to.
All three of us love to be home and only venture out if we need to. We choose not to travel to and fro unnecessarily, nor seek to escape our home environment. Making home a place where we want to be, where our family want to be, has become a priority for myself and my dear daughters.
Each of us have been told by 'friends' at some stage that we shouldn't be tied to the home, that we should set ourselves free to go out and live life, build a career, travel etc.
Needless to say those friendships never lasted long. Whilst we are supportive of others who choose to live their dreams in their own way, it's sad when they can't support the choices we have made - as though we are 'less than' or as some have called us, 'stupid'.
Since I was a little girl all I wanted was a husband, home and family. Since Kezzie was a little girl her only dream was to be a mummy. And since Blossom was a little girl her only desire was to be a mummy and homemaker. In different ways we have each fulfilled our dreams, and we have each supported and encouraged the other to flourish in the roles we chose for life.
I was given such a hard time when we decided to homeschool the children, especially by teachers my husband worked with, but when Kezzie had her boys she too decided to homeschool and that to me was a confirmation that we'd done something right, something she wanted her own family to experience - and time has proven to her that she did the right thing as both boys (aged 20 and 13) appreciate the life she made for them.
