So when the Columbus Dispatch article was published on July 20, 2015, as with any online article, it received supportive and, let's say, more challenging comments. One of the "more challenging" and reoccurring comments were comments that stated things like "Oh, wouldn't it be nice to have money to buy land," or "Not every single mom gets to have enough money to buy land and build a cabin," so on and so forth. Below here you can read what my comment was in response at the bottom of the Dispatch article itself, but what I strikes me the most, is not anger or frustration, but sadness above all else.
Sadness because it seems, for some people, living outside the lines and finding ways to escape those lines is too hard and just and idea of an ideal. One of my favorite quotes, however crude it may sound is, "Excuses are like *ssholes... everyone's got one and they all stink." As with anything, life is about the choices you make and if you choose to set parameters around your life that are dictated by excuses, then seeing beyond the lines will always seem like nothing but wasted time daydreaming about the "what ifs." However, should you choose to embrace the "what ifs," I believe, your imagination can become your destiny and the lines just disappear in the shadows of possibility's light.
To those who dare to explore the "what ifs" and those who want to challenge the man-made lines society puts upon ourselves, I commend and applaud you. Whether you're choosing to live tiny or just consolidate your life in some capacity to make room in your life to live big, here's to you and your beautiful "what if" kind of life. For it wasn't until I decided to follow my "what ifs" that I found a greater happiness and freedom in the "what's next!"
(My response to my Columbus Dispatch article in the Comments section at the bottom)
"It's humbling to read the comments on here about my story. As with any story, there will be mixed views and opinions. In my life, I have worked very hard to find and at times, not knowing what I was working towards and who I was working for. When I had my first child, as with a lot of parents, my life's meaning came more into focus. Life became more than just working a 9-5 and living for the inconsequential; my life became more about seeing the meaning of it all through a child's eye and heart, just like it used to look to me when I was a child.
So, since having Trent (my oldest son), I positioned myself in my own life to live with more integrity, authenticity, and passion. For me, to be able to bring my new perspective to fruition, I had to get down to what made me most happy. As I think most parents can relate, as much as our own children can make us happy, our happiness cannot depend on them, but instead I believe our biggest responsibility as parents is to find our own happiness, on our own two feet, to then show our children what being happy truly means. Therefore, after having Trent I made it my mission to find my own happiness and for me, that meant starting my company BungalowBranch, which allowed me to work from home with my child and make a supportive and growing income.
To those who have commented making some mention of "how nice it would be to have $70k," to that please let me say that I know $70k is a lot of money, a lot of money that I worked hard for through my efforts to find happiness in freedom; freedom from a boss, from a 9-5, and from financial struggles than can compromise anyone's happiness and motivation. As a single mom, I have worked very hard to where I am today, maybe because it's harder to be a single parent, maybe because of my undying passion towards my family, but I think most of all, it's because I have a high regard of respect for myself and passion for reaching my own goals, while essentially proving the cynics wrong. I have been told countless times throughout my life that "I can't do that," "you'll fail," "yeah, good luck with that," and in some sort of messed up way, that was my fuel and my biggest encouragement.
Sure, I could've done a lot of different things and gone a bunch of different directions, but I chose the path that was in most alignment with my own happiness so I could then pass on that most important lesson to my own children as well as be a happy mom for them. Building a cabin is just a step and moment in my journey, but it's a monument to our story and a place to reflect on where we've been and where we are going; a roadmap of sorts.
To all parents, but especially moms and single moms, please don't let your circumstances define who you are, but instead let your circumstances define your new path and give you the foundation to build only up. Again, thank you to those who are offering your support and love. It truly means the world to me and has become a part of the walls that are building my journey. May everyone find your own happiness and passions as to live your most authentic life. All my best to you!
Yours Truly,
Kelley Lewis
The Cabin Chick"
