Can't wait to dig in to these two books from the library. I'm always so grateful for access to our great big, shared bookshelf! Thank you so much to all the librarians who facilitate + advocate for it all! 

People forget that their true satisfaction is a function of what they have divided by what they want.
Choosing fully into time off.
We are more prone to add.
Regenerative practices + knowledge come from Indigenous + Black farmers.
Circular packaging.

Hope you are enjoying sunshine, cool breezes + some delicious, seasonal fruits + vegetables this weekend, friends!
Much love,
Jane

Growing a garden is a great lesson in the cyclical nature of life.
From seed, to sprout, to plant-
witnessing growth in the soil can gift us
a lot of understanding of our own processes
+ the natural world.
Plants are part of the fabric of nature, 
+ we too are nature.
There is the opportunity of belonging
+ the synergy between us all.
~Erin Lovell Verinder (via)

I've held this one back for quite awhile. This is lofty stuff...but maybe worth considering with
a heart full of gentle love + compassion...for both self + others...

I suggest that we are thieves in a way.
If I take anything that I do not need for my own immediate use and keep it,
I thieve it from somebody else.
I venture to suggest that it is the fundamental law of Nature,
without exception,
that Nature produces enough for our wants from day to day,
+ if only everybody took enough for himself and nothing more,
there would be no pauperism in this world,
there would be no more dying of starvation in this world.
But so long as we have got this inequality,
so long we are thieving.
~Mahandas Ghandi

These systems checks give me a chance to reevaluate + adjust  the systems I'm using in various areas of my life. Whether or not we consciously choose or construct our systems, we are employing them. And...even carefully constructed systems need maintenance. So, this time, I'm doing a little midsummer check in with my summer wardrobe.

I've tried to spell out my values when it comes to clothing with the fairdare. I value farmers, garment workers + the planet. One of the key ways I address these values is to tune in to "enough" in my closet. Over the years, I've experimented with less in order to find my "enough", and this summer is no different.

When I shared what I'm wearing this summer both at work + otherwise, I labeled it as a uniform. But I haven't actually spent much time thinking of it as an experiment in wearing a uniform...and maybe that is to save myself from noticing.  :) I have been intrigued by the thought of wearing a uniform, and this little collection of pieces comes pretty close to the concept. What it honestly feels like, however, is that I'm simply wearing what I like.

This summer I'm mainly wearing:
5 tees 
1 pair of jeans
2 shorts
birkenstocks
trainers

Midsummer thoughts ::

• A few additional peripheral pieces allow me to feel prepared for a few outlier situations, but for the most part the 10 pieces above are seeing me through these hot months.
• I found a couple of silhouettes that suit me, and I'm happy to wear them on repeat.
• I like having few pieces to maintain.
• It's nice to like everything in my closet. It really does cut down on feeling that I have nothing to wear (which can happen when I have to look past a bunch of pieces that I rarely choose, because they don't fit or feel or look quite right).
• It was helpful to think through the different situations I knew I'd find myself in during these months + to make sure I have at least one outfit to wear in each of them. I feel prepared, but didn't feel the need to prepare for every unknown. If I need a fancy dress, I can find or make one.
• It's nice to know exactly what I have to wear in each of those prepared for situations. 
• I can make a bunch of (slightly) different outfits with the pieces I have.  
• Less is enough.

Love,
Jane

Learn by doing.

I had a few pieces this season that no longer fit. Rather than hanging on to them "just in case", I'm having faith that I won't regret getting them worn by others. Keeping my needs small allows me to meet "enough" without these pieces or a long shopping list.

A few ways to get clothing into the hands of those who can use them:

• ask a friend if they would like anything
• resale on an online site
• local online marketplace connection
• resale shop that will pay for clothing
• women's shelter or similar organization asking for clothing
• thrift shop
• organize or attend a swap

My main goal when I let things go is to get them into the hands of someone who will use them. Resale sites offer a space for these connections, so I often start there. Since a number of these pieces are warm weather pieces, I decided to limit the amount of time they spent waiting to be sold. Today I removed all the listings + donated them. I decided to bring them to Goodwill this time, because of their commitment to employment + my observations about the (lower) quantity + quality donations to this location. There was a line of people waiting to get in before it opened, so I'm hopeful that these pieces will find new homes. 

I could have brought them to Buffalo Exchange (which will buy some pieces) in hopes of making a little money, but for some reason I felt that removing money from the equation was the way to go this time. 

Donating clothing involves quite a collection of feelings. There is guilt about not using the clothing up...faith that I will not regret the decision to let things go...trust that I have enough...hope that these pieces will find a new home that is not the landfill or clogging a far off economy...and desire to let go + just be generous. In the end, my commitment to "enough" is renewed.

​Love,
​Jane

I'm in the midst of a midyear systems check, and this time the focus is on budget. For most of my life, the main goal of my budget has been to either get out or stay out of debt. We've simply tried to spend as little as possible. 

And yet, a lot of our favorite memories as a couple come from the time when we were just starting out + spending as little money as possible. We still found ways to enjoy an 8 inch pizza in the park + occasionally to even split a favorite candy bar for dessert. I still remember the first time we split a slurpie from 7-11 on an especially hot Denver day, and it tasted like heaven. It may not have been possible for us to have a slurpie every day, but that one was worth every penny.  :)

These days some of our main goals include: ​

• prioritizing generosity
• maintaining our buffer 
• paying off our mortgage
• dreaming (+ saving toward a dream or two)
• enjoying life

We have recently begun having monthly conversations about our spending, expenses + budget. And we've been discussing our dreams + what "enjoying life" means to us. What fun!

It's pretty cool to note that even though we have a little more income now, most of what it means to us to enjoy life involves things like: not having to worry about scarcity + enjoying the simple things right where we are together. I'm so grateful we learned the goodness of that lesson early on!

It's also been meaningful to me to plan a few enjoyable things into our budget. For example, eating out is a real treat for us...but I can still feel guilty about the extra expense (which puts a damper on the whole experience). When we decide that we are going to budget for eating out every so often (+ stick to that schedule), it alleviates that guilt + gives us something to anticipate. Instead of constantly thinking, "I wish we could eat out tonight" (+ feeling deprived)...we look forward to eating out on Friday + enjoy our other meals too. We draw out the anticipation (+ enhance the joy experienced) by discussing where we'll eat during the week + texting about it during the day on Friday. 

It's nice to have a little extra wiggle room in our budget now, but it still takes intention + attention to stay within the limits we've set for our spending. 

​A few of the tools we use to stay on track include:

• embracing "enough"!!!
• anticipating + scheduling expenses
• practicing discipline
• remembering our priorities
• saving!

This year has not been kind to us. We've made some whoppers of mistakes + we've made some really good choices too. Budgets take work + commitment + discipline...but they can also offer boundaries + direction + opportunity. Opportunities for collaboration + harmony. The opportunity to recognize the inherent goodness of simple pleasures + the potent beauty of enough.

Love,
​Jane

Every so often I check in with the systems I use in order to reassess how they are working for me + my values. We're half way through the year + a few of our circumstances have changed in recent months...so this is a good time for one of those check-ins.

It's always important for me to revisit my values as they relate to each system. It can be helpful to revisit the space in my journal where I've recorded these values...but first I like to write them again from my thoughts. I may think of something that I haven't written or thought of before...but mainly thinking through them again is a great way to cement them in my mind...to recall what is important to me + to reiterate that importance to myself. When it comes to food, I value local, organic, zero-waste, nourishing, delicious, whole foods. 

When I find that I've fallen short of these values, I feel guilt + frustration with myself. I try to think of ways to avoid whatever has led me to fall short in the future. The systems I set up for myself create frameworks for "success" + eliminate the need to rethink how I do things with each grocery trip or meal prep time.

A few of the ways that I've shifted my food system in recent months include:

• ​Keeping my reusable bags in the car. I'm often stopping at the store on the way home from somewhere else now (instead of taking a grocery specific trip).
• Planning + shopping for three meals at a time (rather than a week at a time).
• Making enough for two dinners each time I cook. (I bought lidded glass dishes for the extra meals.)
• Having the same thing for breakfasts + lunches pretty much every day. Just to save the time + stress of thinking about it daily (+ when grocery shopping). These meals can change or alternate at any time.

It's helpful for me to see all of these shifts in one place. It lets me realize that I have made progress in setting myself up for success. It also allows me to recognize that each one of these shifts is a kindness to myself. I'll often smile + say "thank you" to myself (yup, for real) for having put my bags in the car...or for having a whole meal prepared in the fridge. Saying "thank you" to ourselves is kindness too.  :)

Love,
Jane

Ok, it might be a little premature to call this a ritual quite yet...but it has great potential. This lovely, loose, blueberry tea was a gift, and I just know that it will make delicious sun tea. 

Heatwaves + drought lead my thoughts to any way we can use less electricity these days, and sun tea is such a humble way to harness the power of the sun. A jar, a tea ball, some tea + a few hours in the sun is all it takes. 

We've been spending most evenings at a nearby park overlooking the lake these days. We chat about our day + read to each other from a book that we've agreed on together. The sky turns pink with cotton candy clouds as the sun sinks behind the trees. I think ice clanking in a couple of jars full of blueberry tea will be a good addition to that ritual.

Love,
Jane

The way we conceive the future
​sculpts the present,
gives contour + tone
to nearly every action + thought through the day.
We can
live forward
in taut + joyful expectancy.
~Eugene Peterson