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Why this space? The KS Manifesto.

I’ve been contemplating why I’m here, i.e. sitting at this keyboard (the existential we can get into later, don’t worry).

Back in June, when we came back from Nicaragua, I wrote about the experience there and also the experience of coming back and feeling overwhelmed with all I wanted to do.  My ever wise husband noted that I was feeling that way as I just kept adding to the list of things I wanted to excel at: mother, wife, doctor, runner, business owner, entrepreneur, vacation rental manager, wellness advocate, activist, blogger … touche, I said, touche.  So I took some time to figure out if this might be the thing that gets dropped and, if it wasn’t, how I would continue without sacrificing any of the others.

As I said last month, I love it here, it brings joy.  So it won’t be dropped.  But there will now be rules.  Enter the kindredSwell manifesto!  Wooo!  How fun, I know!  Each time I sit here, these intentions must be met.  Otherwise, I should be mothering, wife-ing, doctoring, running, or directing my care elsewhere.

So let’s go.

kindredSwell Manifesto

  1. Writing here will never be a duty or a “should”.  I must walk away feeling joy.  I hope you do too.
  2. What is written here must be the most authentic version of me.  At least in that moment, as lord knows, I may (and I hope I do) evolve.  There must be no other motive than to share that.  With luck this will resonate with my kin and together we can do great things.
  3. The ultimate goal is to save the world.  No pressure.  But we can do it.
  4. A secondary goal is to leave footprints of myself for those who might need them.  Sadly I know that I won’t be here forever (well, in some ways 😉 ), so these pages will be where people come to be with me when I’m gone.  That may sound morose at first, but think if you had that for someone you’ve lost?  Hopefully it’s a beautiful gift that I have decades to work on.
  5. The things placed here will inspire, ideally will inspire action.
  6. This will be a place to soar, but also to fall if that’s what you need.
  7. This will be a community where energy and ideas are shared and used to make change where it is needed most.
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Where I’ve been and where we’re going ….

Kin,

Apologies for my absence.  It appears that when the sun came out I drifted away from the keyboard and into the woods.  I was born in the summer and I think the sun runs through my veins.  I literally vibrate in the summer months.  I have a tiny backyard but I can spend hours wandering it, planting and replanting, watering, refilling feeders, noticing the bees, the hummingbirds, the swallows …

And if my spare time isn’t spent there it’s in the woods or by the water, either in pure bliss with my loyal companion Roo or running.  I’ve been doing lots of running: hills, fartleks, track workouts, long trail runs.  I am so bloody fortunate.  I’m training for a long trail race and a Fall marathon.

So I’ve not been here, but I’ve been thinking of here often.  What is it I want to do here?  What is it I have to offer here?  What is the purpose of here?

I know some of the answers so far but not all of them.

But here brings joy, so we will continue.

xo J