268 posts later, I'm trying to re-articulate what this blog is about. I’ve been using the blog since 2007 for, well, whatever... with that lingering, vague hope that I could earn some pocket money. For all the navel-gazing that goes on, making the blog very helpful to me, I wondered how reading could be helpful or inspiring to you.
That is, Concrete Gardener has been really helpful as a place to reflect on how things are going in my life. For a long time, life in Boston was just me waiting for something big to happen. Surviving the long winters, enjoying the summers, and all-round hoping for the day exile would end. I’m finally enjoying the days for their own worth, even as returning ‘home’ becomes more real, I’m embracing Boston as home.
Anyways, I’d love for you to walk with me through the journey of:
1) Learning to take care of ourselves (by ourselves, I mean Eug, Noah and I). This has come to mean living as cheaply as possible, eating from scratch, trying to be more than just consumers, and keeping my family updated on our lives. There’s a mix of dreams here: dreams of health, frugality and simplicity not quite neatly parsed (because in life, they seldom are). Not to mention all the times where all our attempts at taking care of ourselves really just depends on divine (or down to earth) help. If we’re doing ok on this point, we make it to
2) Learning to take care of ourselves while gradually increasing our social responsibility.
This point feels super hypocritical, because Eug and I fly and drive, two of the worst things we can do for the environment. That said, those things are not negotiable right now, as we’re a tri-continental family who married without thinking impact. What is negotiable, although they may seem trivial, is how we choose food, how we reduce our use of plastic and other waste, how often we consume meat, how we give financially, how we invest our money...
3) Learning to think about other people, too. I’m inspired by social entrepreneurs, and families doing small things with great sincerity. I’d love to be part of a bigger story, perhaps a bigger story of what God is doing in our generation to bring justice to those who need it. I think Conferre Magazine is part of that, and I’d love Concrete Gardener to be part of sharing stories too. It’s inspiring to bear witness to people simultaneously engaging in the demands of marriage, family and work, while stepping back to imagine what role they might play in creating a more just, more equally resourced, world. Here’s to you.
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