The Path to Authentic Living

I have been on a journey these past years. I can't recall exactly when it started but I think it was around the time my child was born. In fact, I would say the chaos that ensued in the early days of parenting propelled me forward.

First, I wanted to find a way to make everything easier. So that meant making decisions that would alleviate some stress in my life. For the mother of a baby that always wanted to be held having help with cleaning was worth every penny. The thought of trying to clean the toilet drove me insane.

I know you are probably wondering where my husband was in this factor. Well he is our day to day cook and so I graciously take care of cleaning as a balance to his work in the kitchen. I still continued to do day to day cleaning, laundry, bills etc. But every two weeks I paid someone to really scrub the bathroom, floors and kitchen.

I wanted to make sure that C (my daughter) ate healthy and that I walked lightly on this world. So we started to grow some food in our yard. And we tried to be conscious of garbage. I also learned that making my own baby food was relatively easy and inexpensive and something I could handle. So I started to make choices about what I could do to cut back on waste and spending.

My full year of maternity leave allowed me lots of time with C. But to be totally honest with you I dreaded having to make plans all the time. Both of us became wiggy staying at home. And the responsibility of planning activities every day was a little tiresome. I always envisioned going back to work.

I had been laid off while very pregnant and as the mat year came to an end C got a space in a coveted downtown daycare and I was still jobless. I could not pass up the space for her. So she went into daycare and I took the plunge into self employment.

Starting a business is incredible rewarding, inspiring, draining, stressful, and costly. And it takes way way longer than expected to become profitable. So here I am almost 2 years after the start of my business and I am finally feeling like I am on an upswing.

But the stress of how much I have spent to start this company, the doubt as to whether it was the right decision, and the fairly constant guilt of putting my daughter in daycare has taken its toll.

So here I am with a daughter about to turn 3, a business about to turn 2, and a husband who has been incredibly supportive and patient so far.

I am tired of the stress, doubt and guilt. And I have started to make changes to alleviate all of them. I am simplifying my life. I am eliminating unnecessary spending and waste. I am paying off our debts and starting to save again. And in the process I tend to free up time and energy to focus on what I love to do and what makes me happy. This blog chronicles that journey.