You can do anything – but you can’t do everything.

My husband’s parents used to tell him that, and sadly, it’s 100% true. No matter how much we want to do it all, most times it’s just not possible. I have been feeling that more and more lately.

I love to do so many things, gardening, writing, cooking, art… not to mention those things I only dabble in, like pottery and knitting. But recently, I have found that even those things that I love most have lost their shine, or in some cases have even become onerous. Apparently, I have been stretching myself too thin. My garden, which has always been a place of wonder and imagination, has become an unmanageable chore – especially in the intense heat of the Florida summer. And my kitchen – that place of alchemical delight where separate ingredients come together to create happiness (food is, to my mind, magic)  – well, let’s just say I have had a severe case of the “I don’t wannas” when it comes to cooking lately. To anyone who has known me for a while, this might seem like a herald to the end of days.

Probably the most frustrating has been my writing. My muse has been whispering all sorts of interesting things in my ear, but stress and obligations keep stealing them away before they can make it down on paper.

A choice had to be made, and I decided writing was the one I wanted to make.

So instead of the plans I had to expand my garden, it will now become a little smaller and hopefully more manageable. And I have already made cooking and shopping easier by using services like HelloFresh and Hungry Root. Mine has always been a “from scratch” kitchen, so I had expected the change to be something of a disappointment. But so far, I have been pleasantly surprised. Dinners are much easier and faster to make, but still tasty.

I still love doing all the things I have always loved to do, I just had to be willing to compromise, to be okay with making things simpler. I can’t do everything, but I don’t have to give it all up either.

And I can still share pictures!