It’s been several days since Cosmopolitan released the their #WhyIQuit Escapes feature. If you’re unfamiliar with me you can read my site and blogs but, in a nutshell, I’ve been fairly reclusive for over four years now – meaning, it’s not unusual for a week or more to go by where I don’t see other people. I’ve been perfectly content in my own little farm life keeping mostly to myself while quietly learning this lifestyle and doting on my animals.
If you want to see the feature and videos, they’re here: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a8491304/female-goat-farmers-instagram/
As a former PR person I should have been prepared for anything. I wasn’t.
My phone started receiving alerts just after 5AM. I finally woke up enough to answer the phone for my friend Kathryn who had already read the article and watched the videos. She called to say “Wake up. It’s starting.”
As her words permeated my drowsiness I held the phone away to look at the screen. It was full of notifications. So full of notifications I was unable to clear them before more would replace the previous ones. We got off the phone and for the next several days, until the new president and protests started, my phone never stopped. It was rapid fire: Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding. Both my phone and computer literally overheated and limped along and shut down several times. I was so busy trying to manage all the communications I barely slept or ate for three days and my kidneys hurt from running on adrenaline. There were several times I experienced being completely overwhelmed from both happiness and fear.
Here’s a screenshot of the one of the items Cosmopolitan posted on social media:
It’s been an exciting time. Most people have been very supportive, some have not. I expected the opposition from strangers due to my lifestyle but what surprised me most were the people who were silent or obviously begrudging of the attention I was getting. Then there were some people I expected negative behavior from who were surprisingly supportive. This experience has really shown me who I can trust and who is and isn’t secure in themselves.
It’s unfortunate some people actually prefer you when they believe you’re miserable or hurting. If someone’s support is contingent upon your being in a bad state or even echoing their own beliefs then it isn’t support…or love, is it? This has been a painful realization.
In the past days I’ve received messages and calls from women in pain, people in fear of change, men looking for dates, journalists and even marriage proposals. I’ve learned lessons about not engaging with people who have condemned and labeled me after seeing two minutes of my life. I’ve learned mostly that my story isn’t about me at all. It’s about everyone else and their own fears, prejudices, dreams and projections. The secure and loving people recognize that they don’t have to agree with everything about someone to be happy and supportive of them.
This video for homemade lip balm had over a million views in the first day:
This experience has given me a taste of a society desperate to have their voices heard and to be understood. Understanding is a two-way street. You can’t expect to receive it if you aren’t open to trying to understand someone else’s perspective and experiences.
I’m excited for the next chapter in life and I want everyone who supported me, even defended me, to know how much I appreciate your courage, sincerity and belief in allowing others to express their truth, without judgment. You’re the best kind of people.
xo