Blog Changes | Embracing Your Weird

I love reading other blogs, I have a favourites list as long as my arm and I particularly love that I can read about and see insight into others lives. I especially like posts that are real, both happy and sad and stories about those who've overcome shit in their lives. Turning back to my own blog I decided to look at my own posts over the last three or so years and I realised that while I'm proud of my blog, I'm not proud that I've been unable to truly open up. There are very few posts that are personal, real and raw and you know, it makes me sad that I've felt halted in sharing a lot of things with you mostly out of others in our lives, who are ready to twist a simple post into something it's not.

When it comes to writing posts I clamp up purely because I consider my family members, I consider the hassle I'll get from neighbours who are likely to tear this blog and us, up in an instant (yes, you know who you are if you're reading this) and I eventually climb into myself thinking 'nope, your life just isn't worth sharing Elyse'. I want to share however because I've been through a lot, I've seen a lot and I've overcome a lot. My past experiences have made me who I am today and yes, that person is very introverted but for what I lack in social personality I know I make up for in my ability to care and love. I've been told I'm 'unusual' or 'I'm weird' and for me, those aren't criticisms because I whole-heartedly accept my differences and quirks as being something special. I wish more people viewed their own quirks in the same way.

Everyone around me loves tanning, lashes, beauty, glitter, partying, shopping, etc. I, however, am so far removed from what's on-trend. I love keeping my feet on the ground, researching and learning so that we can lead a fulfilling and healthy lifestyle, I love being in nature, I love crystals, aromatherapy, and yoga, as a Pagan I love celebrating sabbats, indulging in mindfulness and meditation. We love history, myth, and magic and spending time together - my sons are our best friends. So it's easy to see why we stand out like a sore thumb. Why we are called weird. And, why we, don't think that being weird is such a bad thing.

See crystals for us not only look pretty they help us heal, they help us remain positive and they help us feel connected to the earth and all it brings. Aromatherapy helps us with many ailments and in particular myself due to having a lack of energy. Aromatherapy also helps us to keep bugs at bay, clean the house without excessive chemicals (and ensure our allergies aren't inflamed) and ensure our home smells gorgeous (grapefruit and lime essential oils in particular). Yoga keeps us de-stressed and fit and healthy, I remember when my sons first started yoga at home and we would laugh so hard as they tried to maintain their balance and beat their embarrassment at positions such as the lion pose and the cow pose.

Discussing mindfulness and karma has to lead to my sons being caring, compassionate and aware. They can easily see the positives and negatives to a situation and make a decision based on rationality rather than anger or frustration. Discussing the Pagan history and preparing for Pagan sabbats brings us closer to ancestors who followed the same path and those who were lost in the Perth burning times. We embrace each seasonal change and like any family that celebrates a special day it always brings us closer, is filled with happiness and joy and is filled with memories.

Meditation has been one of the best things for our sons. They've self-initiated meditation when they've been unable to fall asleep at night when they've needed a time out to get rid of anger or frustration and when they've been ill. Meditation allows them to get into a calm state of mind so they fall asleep quicker - especially important when they're ill and they know they're going to struggle to fall asleep and when they're going to be tired and sore the next day. All three of them do this and it makes me so proud.

See these things when you break them down aren't all that 'weird'. Unusual yes but weird, absolutely not.

From here on I will wholeheartedly open up on Sweet Elyse blog and Elyse and Connor not because I believe my experiences are better or worse than anyone else but because maybe, my experience of an event will help someone who may be struggling get through something similar. I tell my sons regularly to do what they think is right regardless of what others think but when it came to me looking through my posts I soon realised that I'd probably only actively share some of my posts because many are product-based and not life-based - I felt like a fraud, telling my sons to do something when I wasn't so......

Things are going to change. When I get personal I wholeheartedly want you to be able to ask questions regardless of how personal they are or how awkward you may feel. I want to be able to help others (that damn caring attitude coming out again) because if I help one person then this blog has been more than worth it and it's those four words that mean the most because it's those four words I want to be able to describe my blog as 'more than worth it'.

So, embrace your weird. Don't be afraid to show your weird on your blog, in-person and everywhere you go. Who's with me and what would you describe as being your 'weird'?