unschool monday :: abundance

This week we ate from our garden. One cauliflower that fed us for a week. We spent a day or two in our garden, reconnecting with nature, making new plans. We played, dug, mowed, climbed trees, sat in the sun. We spent time rather than money and life was simple, full and good.



Sometimes the best opportunities we have for learning and enjoying life happen when we just slow right down. We connect with each other and the world around us and everything seems clearer. Questions and conversation flow and our lives feel very full. In a week where I lost my wallet and our single-income budget was stretched to it's limit, simple abundance was a welcome change.



The change of season almost always brings with it the urge to remember to slow down and enjoy nature. Spring brings with it re-connections with friends and a long out-breath after a long winter hibernation... It's not so much that we haven't seen friends over the winter, but suddenly, this week, our social calendar is full. Full of new and old friends, and the promise of a spring and summer full of fun.

I bumped into a woman I've known for a few years, when we were at the library on Friday. Our owlets were at kindergarten together in what feels like another lifetime. She's a teacher, and so finds our unschooling life rather fascinating. She's always a little sceptical of this abundance we seem to talk of. Many people are. I suspect that most people think we sit around the table all day, books open, learning stuff. It seems like a very austere way of living and learning when it is so different from what you know. I answered the usual questions...

"Yes, we are still home educating."
"No, we don't have school holidays."
"Yes, the owlets are happy."



And then this last question, asked, leaning in, with a concerned look towards big owlet, who had run off to play chess with a friend...

"But don't they miss their peers? Don't they miss spending time with friends?"

I gestured towards the other children in the library. All except her own children were home educated. "These are our friends and the owlets' peers. They are all home educated. We spend time together most weeks..."

"Oh". She picked her jaw up off the floor and may have had her stereotypical view of home education altered at that time. Or she may not. But what she noticed, as did I in that moment, is that our life is full, happy, challenging, interesting, busy and abundant in more ways than one. Whether at home together, just playing in the garden, or out and about with friends, it is full and rich and exciting. And for that I am very glad.
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Thanks for reading along with Unschool Monday. If you have a question for me, or one of the other participants on the linkup, ask away! I'm happy to try and answer here next time. If you feel like linking up, it'd be lovely to have you on board and see how unschooling happens at your nest. xx