The Kindred & Co. blog is here for you - resources & rhythms to practice being and doing; stories from us & the community in our pursuit of living as human beings; business behind the scenes (BTS) announcements & celebrations.
you are welcome here.
dear kindred friend,
Choosing and practicing gratitude didn’t mean that the hard days weren’t there or that bad things didn’t stop. Choosing gratitude didn’t mean I was naïve about circumstances or the world’s happenings. But it did mean that I could have a better perspective and not leave myself in despair for too long. I could be balanced.
If Kindred & Co. is a company about encouraging women to pursue a life of wholehearted intention and abundant joy, then that means choosing to make decisions and live in postures that allow for that to happen. Which means, the comparison lists I’m tempted to make, do not belong.
We do ourselves a disservice if we choose to set goals and expectations outside of the context around us. And while those contexts will always impact our lives, right now, they ever more so do and we need to create the space and flexibility to adjust with them.
I saw myself easily spiraling from these questions into feeling sufficiently overwhelmed, anxious, and out of control. Which when that happens, my personality naturally moves to try and counter this by creating a lot of to-do lists, schedules, and plans to create a semi false sense of control.
But in the microsecond before my brain and heart went to the massive to-do lists and plans, I relooked at the question and at the heading of the page “check in – what’s on your heart and mind?”
It didn’t say anything after about “How are you managing those thoughts?” or “what’s the plan to put those things to ease?” or really, having any plan to tackle all the things. It was just a check-in.
While I’m proud of how I’ve made quantifiable and quality progress on these goals, this past month has brought a lot of hardship and questions that have made me stop, reflect, and do some introspective thinking. Systemic racism, police brutality, white supremacy and the neglect and care towards communities of colors and minorities (specifically the Black community) have always existed in this country from the beginning. The start of this country began with the removal and genocide of the Native American people groups. So what’s happened in the last month is not new. But it has felt to hold more weight, pressure, and attention than it has for a while. And as someone who claims to love people, love people’s stories, and want to be in it with people, I cannot sit idly by and not seek change in my own life.
Ironically (or not), the reflection question for May was all about rest. While I feel like I rested well this month, I think it’s telling that I’m still trying to push beyond maybe what my body thinks it’s up for and asking for even more rest. More on this below:
How have you found rest this season? What are ways you can help yourself slow down and ‘stop to smell the May flowers?’”
This month’s check-in question was kind of funny to read and hard to think about because while the first half of March felt relatively normal, the second half has felt totally abnormal and long. I saw a meme this morning that said ‘Welcome to the 301st Monday of March,’ and it felt very real.
How are you feeling about the goals you have set for yourself? Do you feel you are on track to accomplish them this year?
Reflections
At the end of every month we write a reflection blog post that correlates with the reflection questions in the Kindred Planner.
Consider this your invitation to reflect along with us, coffee (or tea) in one hand and Kindred Planner (or journal) in the other.
browse
being
Your worth, who you are and who you are becoming are so important to the heart of Kindred & Co. that we put together a series of blog posts to help you practice being.
browse
community
Sweet like honey are the encouraging stories you'll find here.
Read the stories from our community gathered here! Some stories of K&Co. products, yes, but more important, stories of how they are living as human beings, finding their identity first and foremost in their inherent worth.
browse
Show more
From the moments that have shaped Kindred & Co. to the big dreams seen fulfilled to the best roundup of YOUR kindred stories, here are our favorites posts.
