It’s a muggy one in NYC today where I write my first post in
months from a little table at Le Pain Quotidien at 44th and 3rd.
I feel like I should start this post out with apologies…followed
by explanations…followed by recounts and updates on life as I now know it that
has ultimately kept me away from moments here on my treasured piece of blogland.
But I think I’ll actually forgo the apologies and explanations.
Because I think you understand.
Life has ebb and flow and seasons and moments in the journey
that require us to sometimes do a 180 degree turn in another direction and give
our all to something else. That’s where I’ve been. Giving my all to something
wonderful, knowing that this little space of mine in blogsphere hasn’t left….its
waiting for my return and I’m feeling its tug for reconnection to its simplicity
and its grounding more everyday.
I said I wouldn’t do apologies and explanations…BUT what I
will do is give an update on life as I now know it:
The Smith Homestead has taken up roots and moved to Ohio. I’m
back to the motherland after nearly 15 years away. That little idea of a
magazine I had a couple of years ago called CAKE&WHISKEY is growing…thriving!
I get giddy thinking about it and humbled by it. Its mission is something that at its very core impacts lives and moves people to a place of authenticity and
connectivity to others and themselves in a world of disconnect and falsity.
Canaan is now 11. Ezra is 8. Otto is 4. They are more handsome
everyday.
Never has another child made me laugh more than Otto. I don’t
want him to grow up. Seriously. Its so tough watching that happen. I think he
should be cloned as he is the most perfectly maddening and irresistible child
imaginable.
Ezra, with his sweet freckles and soccer ball constantly at
his feet, gives me the full dose of ‘all boy’. He broke his arm over Easter.
Surgery and the whole bit. Tough stuff for a little guy who ended up having to
miss soccer season entirely. When I start in on a mom lecture with Ezra, his
eyes glaze over and he starts saying, almost mantra style “uh huh, uh huh…” It
makes me smile. And reminds me that sometimes a kid just wants the cliff notes
version and to be on with the day. (Canaan ALWAYS preferred the 1 hour back and
forth lecture/discussion.)
Our relationship with Canaan is making that subtle (and
sometimes not-so-subtle) transition from simply ‘child who follows the rules’
to ‘independent thinker who has a valuable opinion that we should take into
account’. I actually love this stage much more than I thought I would. It’s
rewarding as a parent to give him more freedom, watch him both flourish and
stumble and recover and still rely on the anchor and safety and unconditional love
of home.
Mike and I celebrated our 15 year anniversary in January.
And to keep it all brief but honest…over the past 2 years, Mike and I
discovered the depths of marital un-bliss (that hyphenated word is the biggest understatement
of this blogs life, for the record). We hear this isn’t uncommon at this stage
in the journey…but oh, my. That’s the
stuff that’ll make or break you as a person and a family. And thankfully, it
did end up making us and continues to makes us better than that initial marital
bliss of the early years. So….if you are wading through the thick of it. I’ve
been there. Drop me a line. We can chat it out over a shared slice of cake
across the table or across the miles.
We have bought a 1920’s home in a small sleepy town in Ohio.
And its becoming a bit more than we bargained for. So likely, as I dive back
into the land of Art of Homemaking here and there, you’ll get a glimpse into
the happenings at our own version of This Old House.
Speaking of that domestic goodness that fills my creative bucket…
On the cooking front...when not in NYC or DC you'll find my nose in a cookbook or whipping up something in our makeshift summer kitchen. My true kitchen is torn down to the studs, so cooking or baking nowadays usually involves a griddle or
grill. And I have a seriously uh-ma-zing recipe to share soon…maybe I’ll tackle that
this week. Hold me to it!
I haven’t sewn in a few (many few) months. But there’s some
crafting action about to start up again…my fingertips are missing needle
pricks.
We spend loads of time outdoors right now. Tennis, hiking, picnicking,
kayaking, frolicking on lakefronts and exploring our new town.
And I do travel away from home more… NYC mostly. And although four years
ago I couldn’t have dreamed up a scenario in which I was sitting, having coffee
and oats by Grand Central Terminal alone after 3 grueling days of meetings, it really IS
dreamy to be here in this moment. Yes, I miss those kiddos desperately and
Mike even more so. Choosing whether to venture from the hotel for dinner at 9pm
or just sleep because rest seems more necessary than meeting the calorie
consumption I missed by only eating a beet and arugula salad at a lunch meeting…
that feels a far cry from sewing marathons at the kitchen table with a pie
baking in the oven and the kids playing Uno in the next room over.
But in reality, I do still get those times. Just less
frequent than before. But that’s not a bad thing. Pie everyday isn’t so good
for the blood sugar levels, anyhow.
My phone goes off on the weekends (I’m not ignoring your
texts, friends and family!) and I keep an office away from home now so the
Smith Homestead has once again become simply, home.
Any entrepreneur knows the demands of time and focus that creating something
requires in the early stages. I can see how easy it would be to slip into that
pattern long term…I’ve been tempted to dip my toe into that high productivity, all-else-takes-a-backseat world.
But I said 'no' to the temptation. And I'm so proud of myself for giving myself permission to do that.
Today I’ll head home after a glorious week doing the work I love.
Next week spend some time camping with those three amazing boys.
The days are long but the years are short.
