An idyllic life, or not

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A kind reader recently commented on a post that my life looks rather idyllic.    Around the same time I had an exciting opportunity to write a story for Creative Countryside where I mostly wrote about the prettier moments of my life.  This got me thinking about the word idyllic and how things can look and seem from the outside.

cattle

We certainly have idyllic moments when sometimes the light is golden, sometimes the kids speak nicely to each other and just occasionally all of the planets align.  On my camera I capture horse riding, dust, vegetables, baking and cute goats but these moments can turn from blissful to chaotic in the blink of eye!

dust

Just like all families we face challenges in farming, extreme weather conditions, family business, schooling, raising children and all of the other trials that make up life.  Personally, I worry about a lot of things that are mostly unnecessary but nevertheless, I tend to worry.

alium

I choose not to share many of the challenges or trickier stuff on my blog because documenting and sharing the good things helps me to keep perspective and also helps me to remain grateful for everything we have. I am certain that most people aren’t particularly interested in piles of washing, grubby bathrooms or any of the other mundane aspects of my day.  Generally I visit blogs for a dose of reality and honesty but also as a mini escape to far flung places, for vibrant food photos or just for thoughtful words written by clever bloggers.  Perhaps you visit blogs for the same reasons?

hooves

While I am on the subject of reality, the wider country community in Australia are reeling after the news that 14 year old Amy “Dolly” Everett took her own life just after Christmas as a result of experiencing unimaginable cyber-bullying.  I did not know Dolly or her family personally and their story is certainly not mine to tell.  But, like so many other parents in Australia right now my sorrow for this family is hard to express.  This young girl could be any of our children and this week we have had many conversations about speaking up and above all, being kind.

So, life rarely is idyllic but today we certainly have a lot to be thankful for.

I hope you are feeling thankful today.

Happy Sunday, friends. x

January 21, 2018

31 Comments

  1. Reply

    Tennille

    January 14, 2018

    Beautiful words Jane xox

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 14, 2018

      Thank you Tennille, so nice to hear from you x

  2. Reply

    Annie Bartholomaeus

    January 14, 2018

    Well said Jane. I have heard people comment that only positive things and good photos appear in social media, making it appear “idyllic “…. Well I’m all for that! We all have the washing, cleaning etc etc. It is uplifting to move away from it all for a few moments and share some of those seemingly idyllic moments. I say keep up the sharing and let us never forget to be grateful for what we have. x

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 14, 2018

      Thank you Annie, exactly! x

  3. Reply

    Kate

    January 14, 2018

    I have always felt much the same about my blog and the “why” of blogging. It’s a journal of creativity, of carving out something from the mundane and routine and honing in on it and paying it attention. I’ve also chosen never to put my children on the blog. They’ve grown up without me shoving their young and teen lives up there – or on social media – and it’s the same for the grandchildren. They have their own accounts to manage and their own stories to tell there.

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 14, 2018

      What a great way to summarize it Katie, you always share such lovely stories and creativity. Thank you! I am always a bit uncertain about sharing photos of my children on my blog. I choose not to share too many close up shots of them and I am particularly careful about sharing photos on Facebook of them. It is amazing to think that not so long ago we didn’t even have to make this decision, it was old school printed photos sent to relatives in the snail mail or nothing. We live in a complex world don’t we? x

  4. Reply

    Mimi

    January 14, 2018

    Life, especially when raising children, and idyllic don’t always go together. But I think it does help to have a positive outlook on life. Because everything gets better. But it helps if you’re a “glass half-full” type of person.

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 14, 2018

      Thank you Mimi! x

  5. Reply

    Celia

    January 14, 2018

    Lovely post, lovely Jane. We’ve talked about this before – we write our blogs to uplift, both our readers and ourselves, and in a way, when we right about the positive aspects of our lives, it seems to help us focus on the things that really matter. That doesn’t make the rest of our lives less real or less important, but it does help us to stay grateful and to keep things in perspective. Much love to you. xxx

    • Reply

      celia

      January 14, 2018

      Ugh…sorry for the typo. “Write”. Too early on a Sunday morning for me! 🙂

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 14, 2018

      Yes, Celia we have talked about this before and I know you understand. Thank you so much for calling in x

  6. Reply

    Paula

    January 14, 2018

    Very well put Jane. No ones life is idyllic all the time, so it is always nice to focus on the moments that are. I know how much joy your garden & cooking bring you & sharing it in your blog lets us share in the love.

    We too have had discussions about “Dolly” & have heavy hearts for her family. xx

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 14, 2018

      Thank you Paula. I hope you had fun with those figs! Our teenagers and young people live in a crazy world don’t they? It seems life has never been more complex x

  7. Reply

    ewe beauty

    January 14, 2018

    well written Jane … sadly Dolly has jerked up the slack in us all, feeling an overwhelming sadness for her family and as my grandchildren are not far from being teenagers too, I now worry , although none of us can live anyone else’s life………..
    I do tend to also snap imagines that catch my eye, and I hope the ones who view them…. we all know life is mundane at times, but lets not give up sharing the wonderful creativity out there, the sheer joy of nature and our unique country living…. all the best for 2018 .

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 14, 2018

      Thank you Trish. I worry about the world our kids live in too…we can only guide them cant we? I always love your photos and the way you see the world x

  8. Reply

    Diane

    January 14, 2018

    Thanks once again Jane for your lovely blog. I love reading blogs about life in general beit the mundane everyday tasks or the beautiful landscapes or the exciting ‘happenings’ in one’s life. Blogs educate and highlight life in all forms and that is idyllic to my mind.

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 15, 2018

      Thank you for your thoughtful support Diane!

  9. Reply

    Sam

    January 14, 2018

    Hi Jane, I love your view of your world and the bits of it you share. Our blogs are about what we choose to write about – some people share loads (good and bad), others focus on the upside (be that creativity, nature, travel, family, home), some seem to be almost confessionals. Personally I prefer to share (and read about) the happy and the funny, if possible, but I do occasionally write about the difficult/boring/serious, because we don’t live in bubbles.
    I, too, am careful not to share too much about my children because I respect their right to privacy (and they would be really cross) and I don’t want to write about difficulties too much (which is the reason I took a short break – I didn’t want to turn into a moaner!).
    There is so much drudgery and sadness and downright stupidity in the world right now that it is a form of happy escapism to read blogs like yours. Everyone faces challenges and laundry piles, but I am grateful that you’re here taking your fabulous photos, cooking your wonderful bread, and sharing glimpses of the upsides of your days.
    Thank you. Sam x
    PS There are occasionally heartbreaking news stories of children taking their lives here in the UK because of internet bullying or similar. Social media has added a huge pressure to our kids’ lives that we didn’t have to cope with. My heart goes out to all affected.

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 15, 2018

      Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment Sam, I always love hearing from you either here or on your own lovely blog x

  10. Reply

    Clémence

    January 15, 2018

    It feels good reading this article, it’s always about that balance between fiction/reality/honesty/ and sublimating… And as a reader getting from “inspired” to “bored” or “kind of jealousy I don’t wanna feel”! Anyway your sun and little world feels so good to step in, thanks for your lovely eye and words! And that tragedy you’re talking about, how awful… internet feels so good and so wicked at the same time!

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 15, 2018

      So kind of you Clemence! Yes, the internet is indeed good yet wicked. So lovely to discover you on Instagram.

  11. Reply

    Glenda

    January 15, 2018

    Well said Jane. No life is idyllic but there is positive in all our lives. If only Dolly could have realised that.

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 15, 2018

      It is so nice to hear from you Glenda. My heart breaks for Dolly and her family.

  12. Reply

    Anne

    January 15, 2018

    I often think your posts portray an idyllic life, even though I know that’s far from true. As Celia says, we write and read blogs to be uplifted and yes, sometimes it makes us very grateful for what we have. I just love having a glimpse into someone else’s way of life – your ‘ordinary’ is my ‘extraordinary’. Also, it’s great to see a little Aussie sunshine when it’s grey and dismal here. A x

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 15, 2018

      So true Anne. I love glimpses into your world which is a complete contrast to my world yet so similar in many ways.

  13. Reply

    Marcellina

    January 21, 2018

    Sadly Dolly touched all of our lives. We as adults know that what we see in blogs and social media is mostly the good stuff but unfortunately our youth don’t realise. Everyone on social media appears to be having a wonderful life and when yours is not going so well it just makes it worse. I always told my kids that if you wouldn’t say something to the persons face you don’t say it online. I feel so sorry for children growing up in this online, unreal world.

    • Reply

      Jane S

      January 22, 2018

      Yes Marcellina, I agree. Our children and young people are living in complicated times!

  14. Reply

    Chookyblue

    January 28, 2018

    Almost felt like I wrote Sam’s comment……. I read blogs to be in a happy creative space…… Yes sometimes I blog the crap on my life but if I wanted to be in a negative space I can just watch the news…….. We all know life isn’t perfect for us all the time but my blog is a happy place for me to escape to when needed to keep my glass 1/2 full……..

    • Reply

      Jane S

      February 5, 2018

      Exactly Chooky!

  15. Reply

    Brian Skeys

    February 22, 2018

    It is very easy to take what we have for granted. I often think when watching the news how lucky we are to have been born in this country. As you suggest we should count our blessings, yet have empathy for those not so fortunate.

    • Reply

      Jane S

      February 27, 2018

      Thank you for calling in Brian!

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