Think Big, Live Small: What the tagline of my blog actually means
<p>Hey dudes. So, kind of a big, sucky week: deadliest mass shooting in American history, toddler drowned by alligator at DisneyWorld, British parliament member murdered, one of our hens mysteriously died, Ethan and Oliver had to have unnec
Hey dudes. So, kind of a big, sucky week: deadliest mass shooting in American history, toddler drowned by alligator at DisneyWorld, British parliament member murdered, one of our hens mysteriously died, Ethan and Oliver had to have unnecessary TB tests for our foster application, Ethan also had to get a finger stick and a polio booster while having a vasovagal episode and basically fainting from not breathing, etc. Not the greatest intro to the summer, amiright? Particularly rough one if you're in Orlando.
And it makes me pretty weary of thinking big thoughts.
Sometimes the solution to thinking big is to live small
Weirdly, though, our little family has mostly had a pretty great week, despite these really awful events.
Noah and I began doing twice-weekly fitness classes at his and Ethan's taekwondo school, which is like 3 minutes from our house.
Ethan's been a joy to have home all day. At age 8, he's learned the fine art of mature diplomacy. And he's been so sweet to Oliver and my young babysitee, Thatcher. (Whose last day at Etheridge Montessori was today, since his mommy is a teacher and finally done with school.)
To combat the heat and the inferno of terrible news, I did the logical thing: I bought a $49 pop-up pool for the side yard. Because sometimes you need to find a solution to some easy problems, and sometimes the solution is a cheap, tacky, glorious backyard pool.
Little things, like a cool body of water to dip in when it's hot as blazes, can make all the difference.
Sometimes the solution to living small is to think big
As I plan to wrap up my Fun-Size Farming series, a lighthearted way to relaunch my blogging hobby, I'll also be working through what my tagline really means to me.
Fun-Size Farming was a good place to start, because I wanted to show you how you can Think Big (like learning how to farm) and Live Small (like creating a "farm" on the right scale for you). And also give you gardening tips and a closer look at the many ridiculous animals we have, because goats.
I wanted to illustrate how much living small has made my lifelong big thoughts actually come to fruition.
I wanted to show you that a perspective shift can mean the difference between giving up a dream and making one happen.
So that's my goal for this here blog. I'm not quite done with Fun-Size Farming—I've got a couple more posts for you, including an interview with another family who have their own Fun-Size Farm (they call theirs a Half Pint Farm)—but I'm fleshing out some more series to bring your way.
Think Big, Live Small is a perfect balance
Think Big, Live Small is a point-counterpoint, each the solution to the problem of the other. It's exhausting to constantly consider the macro. It's isolating to constantly live in the micro. Think Big, Live Small is my answer.
Upcoming series you can look forward to?
How to write and record your life online in a real yet positive way
Learn to make your home a personal haven, no matter where you live or what your budget is
Take advantage of parenting insights and strategies we learned in our four-month-long foster parenting classes
Perhaps most substantially, I'm working on a blog/podcast series called Contact, featuring interviews with some very brave folks willing to share their stories—stories that are difficult to talk about, but that are important to talk about. These stories take a magnifying glass to the grand themes of our world right now.
Interviewees will include a mom whose 5 year old son is female-to-male transgender; a 20something mom with metastasized cancer; a social activist involved with the Black Lives Matter movement; an addict; the wife of a former police officer who suffered a life-altering traumatic brain injury; and an interracial couple.
The most powerful, and mostly painless, way to experience change
In times like these we've got to think big. But living small, applying our big ideas to the microcosm of our families and everyday lives, is the most powerful way to experience change.
I hope you'll join me. I promise there'll still be plenty of laughs. And goat pics.