Valentine's Day Perspective

Happy Valentine's Day, dear reader. If I am being transparent, I have never been a fan of Valentine's Day. Don't get me wrong, I love love. However, a holiday based upon the idea of what romantic love is supposed to look like never resonated with me. I group New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day into the same category. These are holidays that, more often than not, leave one feeling flat, empty, and like they have failed at life if they do not experience an epic celebration. or are on the receiving end of a grand gesture. If one does not have a date and plans for a New Year's Eve bash, one feels as if they are ringing in the new year on the wrong note. The same can be said for Valentine's Day. If one does not have a significant other or, at the very least, a date, one feels as if they are missing out. No, I don't like Valentine's Day.

I have come to understand a few things in my fifty-one trips around the sun. First and foremost, one is not losing at life if one does not have a date on New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day. There is no better company than one's self. Personally, I would rather spend the evening with a good book, a nice cup of tea, eating something that I enjoy, and wear my favorite flannel pajamas, cuddled up on the sofa or in my bed rather than spend hours getting ready, shaving, and waxing all regions of my body, donning an outfit that makes me feel as though I am a sausage stuffed inside a casing, shoes that make my feet hurt, and ordering a salad because I want to appear as though I don't enjoy food to someone I don't really care to impress. I don't want to act impressed and surprised over a box of candy and flowers. No, staying home with myself and enjoying my own company is much preferred to pretending to like someone because it's what I am supposed to do on some silly holiday.

I"ve also learned that real love, true love is not in the grand gestures. Often, those grand gestures are overcompensating for lack of actual substance. Real love looks a lot different than I believed it to be in my teens and twenties. Real love is a little brown bag filled with vitamins, given in hopes it makes you feel better. It is a cup of coffee waiting on the counter when you wake up. It's feeding your loud and angry hissing geese who chase you when you feed them so you don't have to go out in the cold. Real love is a Cadbury Egg chucked at you from across the room because it makes you smile. Real love is being patient and kind when you are feeling low, feeling unwell, or when your head feels like it is filled with glue and you can't think straight. Real love talks you down when something or someone has broken your heart or hurt you. Real love is celebrating your wins and telling you how proud you make them. Real love is going along and supporting all your crazy dreams. Real love is a random compliment when you feel you are older than dirt and ugly. Real love has no agenda, pretense, or expectation but for that love to be returned. Real love is standing up for you when you don't or can't stand up for yourself. Real love makes you laugh out loud when your world is falling apart. Real love feels like your favorite flannel pajamas on a chilly day. It's comfortable, accepting, funny, strong, and stable. Real love feels like home.

No offense to those of you who love Valentine's Day and grand gestures. If that is your thing, you do you, Boo. I feel blessed that my perspective on Valentine's Day has changed. I feel truly blessed to feel loved and cherished every day, not just on February 14th. I hope everyone gets whatever it is they need to feel loved and special. Not just today but every day. Most importantly, I hope everyone has an opportunity to learn to love themselves, feels they are enough, and knows that they don't need flowers, candy, or grand gestures to understand they are worthy and loved.

On this chilly Valentine's Day, stay safe, be smart, you do you, know you're enough, love yourself first, and keep washing your hands.

Tuesday Spotlight: Manly Man

This week, Manly Man soap is in the spotlight. This soap is the most masculine scent we create. It is a blend of musk, sandalwood, and amber and it smells divine. When designing the Manly Man soap, I wanted to incorporate activated charcoal because it has many benefits for one's skin. Activated charcoal helps to draw impurities from one's skin, helps clear blemishes, and acts as a detoxification agent. I also included a small amount of poppy seeds to serve as a mild exfoliant.

When blended with our fresh, raw goat's milk and skin-loving oils, the above ingredients create a luxurious soap that will pamper even the toughest skin. An added benefit is one smells amazing while practicing a little self-care. This week, exclusively on the website, Manly Man soap is on special. No promo code is needed to save on the Manly Man. As a bonus, we are offering a 20% discount sitewide. (Exclusions apply: the weekly special, merchandise, and subscription boxes) Use promo code LoveThe Zen at checkout to save 20% on your entire order—orders of $50 or more after the discount will ship for free.

On this overcast winter's day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the savings, and keep washing your hands.

Milestone Moments

Happy Monday, dear reader. This weekend was a milestone weekend here on the farm. Because we had record sales, quintuplet goat births, or added new members to our farm family? No. My bib overall-wearing buddy actually left the farm to have breakfast with an old friend, AND The Bibbed Wonder planned the breakfast bro date. That isn't such a big deal to you (and most normal people). However, this is a big deal in my bib overall wearing buddy's world.

Eric never leaves the farm of his own accord for sheer entertainment purposes. He will leave to run errands, go to markets, get feed, or do something business-related. However, he never leaves the farm just to meet a friend for breakfast. It was kind of a big deal. The Bean and I said to him several times, "I'm very proud of you!" and we meant it. You see, dear reader, my husband is a workaholic. Not only is he a workaholic, but he cannot relax or unwind. He is the hardest-working person I know and makes me very proud. The Bibbed Wonder is capable of many great things, but he cannot strike a work/life balance. Work is his life.

I cannot get him to go on a vacation. To date, we have not been on a family vacation since 2015. He always has an excuse as to why he cannot leave the farm. Now, granted, most of them are valid reasons. However, we could at least go for a long weekend with our trusted friend, Jenna. The Bibbed Wonder disagrees with this opinion. If I push him too hard to leave or make plans, it creates stress for him rather than help him relax. Sigh.

I was thrilled when he told me he had made plans with a childhood friend earlier in the week. I couldn't make too much of a fuss about it, or it would backfire, so I merely smiled, said, "That's good. Where are you going for breakfast?" and left it at that. Meanwhile, I messaged The Bean and said, "Guess what? Dad has a man date on Saturday!" Her response was, "No way! With whom? What did he do? Is he feeling okay?" I laughed out loud at her response.

On Saturday, my little bib overall-clad buddy was up bright and early, got everything he deemed needed to be done, and went for breakfast with his friend. He returned home around 11:00 a.m. and informed me his friend would pick him up and take him to his farm to check out his long-horn cattle. He seemed rather sheepish and a bit guilty about the whole thing. He asked, "Do you have anything you need me to do? I can stay home if you need me." I told him I needed him to go with his friend and have a good time. I added you deserve a day of not doing anything. Go and enjoy yourself. Seeing him relaxing and enjoying a day off the farm did my little heart good.

He did thoroughly enjoy himself. He and Adam spent the day together and hung out until 5:00. One of my favorite sounds is my husband's authentic, deep belly laugh. I heard a lot of laughter that day. I hope this is something that continues. I love my husband, and I enjoy spending our days, nights, weekends, holidays, and all the in-between hours together, but he needs friends and a life outside of us and the farm. He needs to strike a balance between work and fun. In my opinion, if one works as hard as he does, one should play equally as hard. However, nobody really cares about opinions. Sigh.

On this lovely February day, stay safe, be smart, make time for friends, strike a balance between work and play, and keep washing your hands.