Hearth & Field interview:*
H&F: … What are some practical things someone can do to make life lovelier?
Mrs. Elliott: A great place to start is with practical kindness — small kindnesses to your home, yourself, your family members, your community.
Because we all have things to do in life. You’ve got to do the dishes. You’ve got to do laundry. You’ve got to go to work. There’s no escape from these things, and there’s not supposed to be.
But maybe there is some little kindness you can do to make that work more beautiful in your life and the lives of others, to make things less utilitarian and highlight the reality that they are blessings. For example, maybe you don’t love your job at the moment, but you can still take the time to pack yourself a nice lunch so that you have something to look forward to at work. Grow a few of the ingredients or get them from the farmer’s market; introduce yourself to the farmer, and maybe some weekend drive out to his farm and get some milk. Or buy yourself a quarter of beef and a chest freezer and just enjoy that you have that really good meat waiting for you.
Now all of a sudden your normal work day has something in it to look forward to. You’ve been kind to yourself in that way.
Or at home, you can take the time to warm your mug for your coffee. And to sit still just for a minute in the morning as you wake up. Or you can change the sheets on the bed more often, or take steps to make sure that when you get out of the shower, you always have a clean, dry towel waiting for you. Or you can put your dish soap in a pretty pitcher and make an effort to notice how nice it is to pour the soap out onto a brand new sponge. Homemaking is full of opportunities for such small kindnesses to home, self, and family.
* “Shaye and Stuart Elliott live on a small homestead in Northern Central Washington, where, among other things, they run a cooking community and the “Homemaker Chic” podcast and direct their children’s homeschooling co-op. We recently sat down with the Elliotts to ask them about thrift, beauty, and provision in home life. What, we wondered, can families do to help themselves live a rich and beautiful life within the limits of their particular circumstances?”