“There is nothing in nature that blooms all year long, so don’t expect yourself to do so either.” – Unknown
What does it mean to be whole? Think about it for a minute, what exactly is wholeness, anyway? If you have a moment, and I hope you do, take a minute to reflect on what wholeness means to you in this season of your life?
[. . . p o n d e r i n g . . .]
Is to be whole the same as being content? Are the two synonyms? Does it mean to be grateful? Raw? Light-filled? Happy? Or honest? Or does wholeness have a mysterious depth to it, weighing more than one measly word can bear? Does wholeness mean something in the realm that dabbles more in the messy middle of both beauty and pain in what it means to be a fully alive as a human being in this complicated yet miraculous world we’re all connected to and living in?
I am not here to define wholeness for you, but rather share my interpretation of what wholeness can mean. To me, wholeness can mean honoring the whole flower, not just the one part that blooms. It’s to honor her roots, her stem, her leaves, her pollen-filled center that makes us sneeze, and the seasons that when strung together, make her whole. Likewise, wholeness means to respect the natural rhythm that flows within her, to see her just as much as a flower when she’s taken to rest and is burrowed beneath the hard, cold surface of the earth, as when she makes her summery debut in the sunshine come spring. Wholeness is seeing all of her in every season, and it’s how, if we can honor ourselves in the seasons and facets of our one wild and precious life as well.
Wholeness is wellbeing in that it cares for all parts of us that are in need of care – our body, mind, heart, and soul. It’s to look deeply and authentically inward, and to then to nurture those tender seeds to begin healing outward. so me, living a life of wholeness means to respect the rhythms embedded in life itself, the ebb and flow, the yin and yang, and see our path as a journey through both smooth and ragged terrain that deserves love, respect, and attention. It’s to honor both the new and the full moon, knowing that she is always there shining even when we can not see her. And perhaps above all, to live with wholeness is to love our whole self, so that we may extend that love out into the world through everyday acts of care, connection, and compassion.
With that, I am beginning what is a new series here called the Homesong Wholeness Project to illuminate ways in which we as women can care for ourselves in mindful ways. Taking the time to nurtures our whole self is a radical act of self-care, and it’s time that we start loving on ourselves by taking meaningful action. I want to walk this journey with you and share honest struggles that I have as both a woman and mother, opening the door for you to share, too. I have always wanted this space to be more like a community gathering in my home versus me throwing words out into the ether of the interwebs, so think of each post like a welcoming cup of tea and a warm spot to sit.
To give you a general overview of what this project will look like, here are the areas we will be focusing on:
- BODY | Nourishment and care for the BODY, the home for our physical self, focusing on hydration, food, making, meaningful movement, and rest
- MIND | Nourishment and care for the MIND, where our thoughts take root, focusing on our interested and intellect, while watering the seeds planted within
- HEART | Nourishment and care for the HEART, where our feelings and emotions roam, focusing on fostering a deeper and more positive connection with ourselves, others, and the earth.
- SOUL | Nourishment and care for the SOUL, where our inner truth resides, focusing on the spiritual aspects of humanity, while honoring what gives our life most passion, purpose, and meaning
And within these four pillars, there will be mentations, recipes, articles, practices, and ponderings. We will delve into what it means to honor your inner rhythms while setting outward intentions. We will discuss how self-care can look like a manicure or message, or like making time to read or take a quiet walk alone. We will figure out what kind of motivation draws you in, and what kind of experiences make you feel most refreshed, inspired, and alive. And lastly, we will share stories, give encouragement, and hopefully begin to fully see ourselves in the complex wholeness that we were made. What do you say? Are you ready to begin?
xx Amanda
Sophie - Looking forward!!
admin - Sophie, lovely! Me too, girl. xx Amanda
Melissa - Waiting to read all and start the journey of selfcare with this community ! Love, love your incredible gift of communicating and caring for others. ¡Besos desde España!
admin - Melissa, thank you so much dear one. I am so excited to be on this journey with you towards healing and restoration. xx Amanda
Angelina - I am SOOOO excited for this. Since becoming a mom (now of two little babes), I have lost myself and I find myself wearing thin. I know I need to work on me to be better for them. Thank you for leading us all into the right direction. xox
admin - Angelina, bless you for joining us, mama! xx Amanda
Aziza ibrahim - I can’t wait ! I have a five year old and two year old and although life isn’t as tough as in the early day some days are just too gruelling . I eat well and exercise but would like to go in deeper now and really nourish my soul. I often feel lonely and lost and want to embrace this season of life and almost feel guilt for not always doing so . X
admin - Aziza, lovely to have you joining us, my dear! xx Amanda
Stephanie B. - I am so excited for this! I was new to your blog when you did the Rest Retreat in January – it was such a salve for this Mama’s soul! I look forward to reading the new posts. Thank you for your hard work.
admin - Stephanie, I look to that retreat every time I need a shift in perspective, it helped me so much too! Glad you have you with us! xx Amanda
Johanna - This sounds really wonderful! Not sure i’m your target audience as i’m 43 and my children are 13 and 19 BUT i’m hoping there might be more like me out there who might also decide to join in and share. 💖
admin - Johanna, you are most welcome here – I think my target audience is anyone keen on slowing down, showing up, and paying attention to the beauty in the everyday life. You are here, you showed up, and that’s beautiful. xx Amanda
Jacqueline Beach - Yes, please!
admin - Jacqueline, yay! Welcome, dear one. xx Amanda
Sharon - Just found your site and I am excited to follow the Wholeness Project!
admin - Sharon, welcome, welcome! xx Amanda
shauna - gosh what a beautiful idea, i am so in! thank you as always for the inspiration and encouragement you offer to your readers here, amanda! my heart always feels a little lighter after visiting. a hug and blessings to you today, sweet lady! 💛
admin - Shauna, hurrah! And thank you for these heartfelt words, I truly appreciate them. xx Amanda
Lara - Amanda, hello from a country village in South Africa! I’m recovering from a long, isolating illness…your project sounds beautifully right for me. I’m in – body, mind, spirit. Thank you for this gift. Warmly, Lara
Laura - What a great idea! I’m ready!
Kim - I am. ❤️ I haven’t been in the best place lately and really could use the support. Thanks for doing this.
Jennifer - Yes! What Shauna said! Your words and encouagement ground me but give me a lightness in my soul. Looking forward to this series with this beautiful community 💛
Sarah - Yes! You always seem to share exactly what I need when I need it. So ready for this 💕
Reighan - This is so timely and so lovely. Can’t wait!
Eva - I would have never imagined to find such a generous person on this world wide web. I just can feel thankful for having found you and tell: I am ready for whatever you give to our hearts and souls from this lovely home you have created.
Ready from Spain!! (well, actually I live in Egypt but I am spanish)
Lyudmila - I’m with you, so exited! Can’t wait to begin)
Tanja - Thank you Amanda!!I really need this right now. I am 48, my kids are 19,18 and 6 😁. Greetings from Germany 👋🏻🌞
rachael - Yay! I am so thrilled that you are starting this. I followed along with your Rest Retreat and it was a beautiful, illuminating experience for me. Sadly I have regressed and find that I lack self discipline. Discipline really is a struggle for me and always has been. I have bouts of wonderful productivity and to the outside observer I probably look reasonably put together, but my spirit and body are undernourished and I find that I am wasting SO MUCH TIME as if time is this excessive thing that I have endless supplies of, and not precious, not fleeting.
I so appreciate the work you put into these series and am so excited to explore Wholeness with you 🙂
Jill - I am so excited for this! I can’t wait to add and expand my current self care routine.
Katie - I am really looking forward to this!!! I love the work you are doing! 🌿
Chelsey - I’ve been looking for the words to describe what I’m missing these days as a mama of two…you captured what I’m craving beautifully and much more eloquently than I could have. Thank you. I’m excited to join!
Hallie - How do we sign up?
Laura - I really resonated with the part you wrote about paying attention to ebbs and flows in our lives, and finding the good in each. To often I think I should be doing everything at once, when really that’s not a sustainable (or even possible) way to live. I’m a newcomer to your blog and I’m looking forward to more of your thoughts on this!
Ellen Krause - Been looking forward to this! It’s come at a much needed time in my life.
J weigh - Count me in!
Tabatha - Thank you thank you. I’m single mom of a 3 year old and wow!. Feeling all the feelings after finally peeling off my super power cape and so overwhelmed, inspired, scared, excited, lonely, brave, anxious, powerful… who am I ? Who was I ? What do I want?… I can finally say I want help and need connection. Thank you for creating this space and sharing your “wholeness”!
Nicola - Yes!! I REALLY need this right now. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
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Jana Doten-Ferguson - Oh this is lovely, important work – I’m in!
Rachel - Can I just say thank you! 😊💛 I love these first two wholeness posts and am excited to come along with you all. This is so what I need right now, as I’m in a particularly rough season of motherhood (toddler + baby with health needs). I really appreciate your beautiful words about what wholeness can mean — so so healing to me. I feel like I need to write some of those sentences out as a start to my journal and keep coming back to them 🌿
Annette - Hi Amanda,
I so appreciate you sharing in this space with me, with us. Your question of ‘what does it mean to be whole?’ is stirring within me. My intention is to sit down and journal all these swirling thoughts and lay it out in front of myself in pencil on the page.
A simple thank you for sharing and for your encouragement.
Kindly,
Annette
Lauren - You are a total inspiration to me, recently I’ve been wanting to change up what’s happening with my home and family and find more balance and wholeness for me and my husband and children and I find so much inspiration through your blog and Instagram! Thank you so much! I so look forward to these posts and can’t wait to read your book!