So, recently, my amazing boyfriend and I bought a house. A real fixer upper. It needs every single thing updated in one way or another.
A couple weeks ago, we took the leap and moved into our home. In the past few years, we had experienced quite a bit of oppression and manipulation, unfortunately, from interfering family members that we were living near, and we decided that we needed to stop waiting and start LIVING. It was one of the most satisfying moments in our life together, as a couple, taking the steps to claim our life as our own.
Just a side note, here, never ever let anyone try to force you to change who you are or dictate what you should do with your life. Choose the path that best gives you lasting joy, peace, and the things you want/need.
So, here we are, building this beautiful life together in a little house that belongs to us, and it’s not even close to being finished, yet, but it’s all ours! You couldn’t get more satisfying than that, right?
I’m discovering that since we started this journey, we’ve been confronted with satisfying moments from right and left, and they keep coming, because we’re living a life that we love, and we’re pursuing the best versions of us. We couldn’t be happier in our little piece of crust on this Earth.
We’ve spent the last couple of weeks working on project after project, keeping up with incoming orders, designing new pieces, mudding drywall, tiling floors, sanding floors, grouting, installing fixtures. 2 am. Falling into bed. Exhausted. Just non-stop. And sheer happiness at building our life.
This weekend, my boyfriend decided to take me out on a little shopping trip at Target and Ross, two of my favorite places. While we were getting ready, I finished up with putting on my jewelry. The sigh of satisfaction and the smile on my face when I looked at the rings on my hands, the rings I haven’t worn since we moved in, brought a loving gaze to my boyfriend’s eyes. He knows me so well. I’m not a materialistic person, but I do, indeed, love my jewelry. I love it, because it’s part of me, because it’s a statement of who I am, and it’s a reminder to myself of where I started and from where I came, things that should always be remembered and embraced.
This weekend, I was reminded of why I began making jewelry in the very beginning, of the meaning that created the foundation of The Chestnut Forge. I was reminded to love myself, that my efforts behind The Forge are to encourage you to love yourself, that every person is a beautiful individual, unique as God created you, and that is to be honored and respected. You must always remember that while some days we feel a little less than our best, taking the time to select the right earrings, to choose the perfect outfit, to slip on our favorite rings or bracelets is the effort to choose our best versions of us, and that feeling is the most satisfying of all. You are you. You are an lovely human being that was put on this Earth to thrive as your best version. Never never let anyone convince you of otherwise or deprive you of that. Embrace yourself and all of those around you.
Have you experienced one of those satisfying moments lately? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
