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Rooted in the Life I'm Growing

 



Rooted in the Life I’m Growing

For me, rooted living is about finding joy in the small, ordinary tasks that stitch my days together.

Every morning begins the same way. Around 5 a.m., I wake to the sound of my roosters calling out the day. Daisy, our ranch dog, usually makes her rounds — stopping by the bedroom window to bark once before trotting off like she’s simply clocking in for work.

I feed the cats their dry food, then tend to the chickens and check on the garden. Once the animals are cared for, I come back inside and pick up the threads from the night before — cups, plates, socks, shoes, whatever my husband or I left behind when we drifted to bed. I start a load of dishes, sweep the floor, and give the house a quiet morning reset.

The Kitchen and the Garden: Two Sides of the Same Root

Being both a chef and a gardener means the two roles constantly feed each other. Chefs create art using the best ingredients they can find — and any chef worth their salt will tell you that good food starts with good ingredients. (But this isn’t Papa John’s. ha!) If I want to be a good chef, it only makes sense to grow and know my ingredients: to understand what they should taste like, smell like, look like — and how they change with the seasons.

Daily Check-Ins with My Husband

Something my husband and I do together that keeps us connected — and makes us both feel grounded — are daily check-ins. Since he’s the breadwinner and I stay home, I keep him apprised of my plans for the day. I ask if there’s anything he needs me to take care of for him at home, and if he needs something, he asks in return.

We talk to each other with ease. If I need to remind him of something, I’ll say, “I’m just reminding you to…” without it sounding like a scold. If it’s a task I think he might forget, I’ll ask if he wants a reminder instead of assuming. It’s a small thing, but it keeps us working together instead of against each other.

Systems That Work for My Brain

As an AuDHD person, I’ve learned that if a task is recurring, it needs to go into my calendar — right away. If I have appointments, they go in the calendar as soon as I make them. I will forget otherwise.

That calendar is my lifeline. As long as something is in there, it will get done that day. I don’t rely on “remembering later” — I rely on a system that doesn’t punish me for forgetting.

Proud of the Simplicity

Honestly, the thing I’m most proud of right now is the simplicity of the life we’re building.

Life gets better when you take away the noise instead of adding to it. Everyone always thinks, “What do I need in order to be happy?” But I’ve found more clarity in asking, “What do I already have that’s extra — that’s causing me stress — and how can I let it go?”

The less I cling to the clutter, the more space I have for what matters: my home, my work, my marriage, my animals, my garden, and the meals that bring them all together.

This is the life I’m growing. It’s not perfect, but it’s mine — and it’s rooted.


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Location: California, USA

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