This morning was a usual Saturday morning for us all, a little mix of chaos and calm. You see, on the one hand, Jamin and I are ready for some slow moving, coffee-filled, daggy trackies wearing, sun-absorbing goodness in our little sunny backyard. But on the other hand, the kids are thinking quite the opposite. They are generally filled with such excitement that they have both mum AND dad around to play endless games of soccer, mums and dads, schools, trucks, lego towers, and throwing the ball onto the roof (yep, it’s a game here!!). We don’t have family around (10 hour car trip away) so we are the main source of one-on-one attention for them here, and at times, although fun, it can become quite tiring trying to find that balance of being slow along with maintaining enthusiasm and interest in all their daily pursuits.

So I am challenging myself to find some calm in everyday life, to balance things out a little. One of the things that I have discovered in my journey is that plants are really refreshing to my soul. Whether it be some cuttings in a mason jar vase on the dining table, some herbs that I have grown and used in a home cooked meal, or some potted ivy, basically all things fresh, green, & alive make me feel a sense of calm & excitement all in one.

A while back my lovely sister Liesl came to visit, and made a huge pot of delicious bolognese sauce for our dinner. She is all things creative and clever, so naturally (to her) she saved the tins from the tinned tomatoes and potted them up the following day with some succulents she found out and about in our shemozzle of a garden. I have enjoyed them on some shelves in my house ever since and was so inspired to do this myself.

After scrounging up some old pots, soil and coat hangers, I managed to create some potted plant love which now greets me every day as I walk outside into my courtyard. I only used plants from cuttings too, so for something that provides much refreshment to my soul, it ended up costing me absolutely nothing! No expensive pamper sessions, no shopping spree with money I shouldn’t spend, no drugs, just nature’s little built-in anti anxiety system. Isn’t nature so incredible? While my journey to finding a slower pace and more peace in my here and now is still, well, what is it – a journey, I am so glad to have discovered plants so far!