As Justan and I planned our first wedding in 2003, a family member told me, “You’re just trying to be different.”

We had been planning things a bit differently, but certainly nothing all that outrageous. What we were doing was trying to create a day that represented us and the love we would be celebrating, in a very authentic way.

But there it was. The judgment that often comes out when someone is searching for an authentic representation of themselves, whether that be in their career, their appearance, their relationships, their parenting, their home or almost any other choice: if you’re not meeting the status quo, you must just be out to buck it, whatever it takes.

I write this blog for those of you who have heard or felt this judgment. I commend you on doing the soul searching you need to do to find what feels authentic to you, in any realm of your life. That takes courage — even if it turns out that your “authentic” really is a heterosexual, monogamous marriage, with a bungalow, and two kids who go to public school! It’s not about being different, it’s about living the life you truly feel meant to live.

Of course, my authentic is quite different than that, but then I’m sure it’s also different from the next guy, and his from the next after that. The point of this blog is to recognize the beauty and possibility in thinking outside the box — sometimes way outside the box — about any aspect of your life that just won’t fit nicely inside the box.

My favourite topics are polyamory and relationships (especially triads); homeschooling; unjobbing; writing; joyful fitness; staycations and traveling like locals; and seasonal living. I also sometimes work in bits and pieces on tiny houses; strawbale and alternative/eco-homes; permaculture; music; grief; disaster/apocalypse preparedness; and food.

The way I figure: the world is ending — why not live the life you want?

Find out more about my writing and professional services (copy editing, ghostwriting and freelance writing) at lsarabysterveld.com.