Letting Go...

As I was lying in bed with my baby girl getting her back to sleep after a thunderstorm rolled over the mountain rather quickly and woke her up, my mind was calm as I listened to the rain on the roof and her breath on my chest. I realized that those moments of nurturing, of content, of feeling a full heart, are the moments that fill me. And, I realized that I am intentionally recognizing those moments much more now that we are full-time in the Eco Womb. I even smiled thinking of how protected I felt in the "womb" or the security that we have created with our family in such close quarters, all nestled together.

We named our business Eco Womb when I was pregnant with our daughter and aptly for the hope of creating an environment on the outside of the womb that would be safe and healthy for her, for all babies that come into this big, bad world. If you think about it, babies are all wrapped up inside our protective bodies, and then come out into bright lights, loud sounds, and environmental toxins all around. The "eco womb" is then the concept of living intentionally to create a safe haven for your children so that when they encounter the external stimuli of the fast-paced world, that they have a healthy start and a secure base to always come back to.

Well, that was our thought, anyway, when we developed our business back in 2007, the year our baby girl was born. It was the same year of all those recalls on children's toys, lead paint was in at least half of what my boys were playing with! So, I began to let go, and be ok with that. I cut their toy collection probably in half, and honestly they didn't even notice. We pledged to not buy anything "Made in China" and started looking for locally made items, or fair-trade certified. Once we did that for all of their toys, it was an easy next step to do the same for our clothing purchases, and household items. Albeit, there have been some exceptions, it is very difficult to buy shoes you can try on in a store that are made locally, or electronics that are not made in China, but our purchases are well thought out, researched, and not as often anymore. By the time we look into where an item came from, we may realize we don't really need it, or we find it used somewhere. So, what became a family mission of ours, turned into our base for our business, to offer local, Made in the USA, fair-trade certified items that were sustainably sourced. I guess you could say, the Eco Womb was born!

Then, when we really started looking at what we were advocating, how we were able to educate others, and offer resources on sustainable products, we really wanted to live it, fully. So, in addition to educating others on where they could get safe, eco-friendly products and offering many of them in our store, we realized we wanted to live simply and sustainably in all aspects of our life. And, it is when you are open to allowing the path to unfold that more doors open for you. That is what happened over the past year as we were able to obtain the Eco Womb Tour Bus (formerly the Live Lightly Tour Bus) and set about on this amazing journey. We sold our house and most of our things in it in January of this year, moving full-time into the Eco Womb, pairing down significantly with what we own to only keep what we use day to day. And, we couldn't be happier, or feel more free. We are mobile to travel and immerse ourselves in life learning along the way, growing individually, as well as closer as a family.

The best part is that by letting go of all the conventional ideas of how we should live our lives, we are finding such fulfillment in living how it feels right to us. There comes a balance in finding your true selves, and it can start by letting go of just one thing. Do what you feel is right for yourself, and your kids. You will discover that you will find confidence in continuing on that path as you surround yourself with that natural balance. Would love to know what you have let go of in order to live more fully. Please leave a comment and let's support one another on this path of intentional living.