The Great NonConformist Hoax
Bug exploration with the kiddos on a Saturday afternoon.
One year ago, I thought “NonConformist” meant doing crazy stuff.
One year ago, I looked to people like Adam Baker, Chris Guillebeau and Steve Kamb - three dudes doing incredibly awesome things – and used their lifestyle choices to evaluate my own personal direction. I concluded that my life had to look different than the people around me, that the things I did needed to be radically different from what those around me were doing. That became a driving force in my decision making.
Pursuing your best life means you WILL look different – BUT.
Just over 1 year ago, frustrated with my lifestyle, I quit my job and dropped a whole lot of commitments (more about that here). In my headlong rush to change my lifestyle, I think I missed something. At first, my focus was on escape – relieving the pain in my life. After the initial break with my ‘old life’, though, I started doing things differently merely for the sake of being different.
NonConformity is about your heart, not outward appearance.
Today, with a simply ridiculous year behind me, I’m coming to some significant conclusions. Sometimes being ‘NonConformist’ creates a negative splash in your immediate circles. Sometimes it means quitting your 9-5. Sometimes it means ditching your mortgage to explore North America.
I’m convinced that while real nonconformity starts with walking away from the world’s expectations of you, it needs to sink further in than that. I believe that pursuing your best life is less about how things look from the outside and more about who you are. What you value, what you devote your life and time to, who you impact – those are the true markers of nonconformity.
The changing landscape of my deepening heart is more important than any of the external markers I used to push towards with such drive.
Today, I choose to stop measuring my own ‘nonconformity’ by the cool, fun, crazy things I do, and more by the lives I change and people I impact.
The Importance of Hope.
‘Devastated’ is probably too strong a word for what I’m feeling.
See, for the past month, Sarah and I have been on the hunt for a new place to for our family live.
Last week, the uneventful, boring search took a sharp upward turn when we found a superbly charming little townhouse with 90% of the things on our wish list! Things moved quickly from there. We checked the place out, met with the owners (whom we clicked with really well), submitted the application, and waited with baited breath.
For 1 week.
Then, [Read More...]
Holding Life Loosely…
“Its pretty crazy how, even in the short period of a couple months, our desires and goals for the year can change so much…”
Happy almost April! We’re on the very doorstep of 2012′s 4th month. Wow. I know I’m only 26 years old, but gosh time flies. Things in my life are picking up speed and ripping down the tracks. It feels like just yesterday Sar and I sat down together and brainstormed where we wanted to go this year with Piper and Vienna.
And here we sit, breathing down April’s neck. It’s time to start asking some questions:
- Is our family on track for the growth we were hoping for this year?
- What’s been different than we expected?
- Do we need a course correct? [Read More...]
What You Never Knew You Loved About Your Kids
Hey Everyone!
Josh and I have dubbed the past two weeks a marathon. You know the kind where for some reason you are still functioning when every piece of logic says you should be flat on your back. The kind where the adrenaline’s going to run out soon you’ve been running on it so long. And for some reason we’re not sick…
Two weeks ago, our oldest daughter Piper got sick. You know, runny nose/cough/slight fever/a few sleepless nights for mom and dad (literally; no, really – actually sleepless)- all of those joyous things. It was a slightly more intense version of an average cold. As Piper got better, it became quickly obvious that Vienna had caught Piper’s illness.
And it hit her really, really hard. Three days later, Vienna developed a high fever and dropped into a lethargic state that saw her struggling to breathe. When we brought her to the ER, her blood oxygen levels were ridiculously low and her heart rate was ridiculously high. She had RSV, an aggressive (though common) cold-like virus that can be very serious for kids 1 yr and younger. ‘Enna’s RSV developed into pneumonia in her right lung. [Read More...]
Setting up 2012: Weekend of Coolness and Skulduggery Report
Adventure waits for each of us to let go of what we’ve come to know as normal, as comfortable, as secure. For The NonConformist Family, 2012 is the Year of Adventure – and our goals are about equipping ourselves to chase down that adventure. And yes, it’s a little bit daunting – just a little. At the end of the day, though…
2012 will be our family’s break-out year.
In our recent planning weekend (aka the Weekend of Coolness and Skulduggery), we were able to look back and reflect on a 2011 that was all about doing away with society’s expectations of what our family should be and do. We cracked our mold, blew up our life, and began putting the pieces back together.
2012 will be about creating a place of strength, a concrete, settled center out of which to strike forward. Weʼre building new routines, and setting new expectations. Weʼre putting together the framework and structure of our life – setting ourselves up for [Read More...]
