Peach Friedman
author, educator & trainer
intuitive fitness for women

Well, here I am in Auburn. I have to say, I really love it here. I feel more at home in my surroundings than I have in years, and this is bringing out my mommy-nesting, full-swing.

It’s a funny thing: the second I knew this move was a possibility, I said to my husband, If we live in Alabama, I want to have another baby. Some of you (especially those who know me well, but maybe others will relate) understand that this comes from some inner struggle I had, living in California all that time. I never quite felt rooted or at home there, and this made me cling–at times desperately!–to my original roots. I didn’t want to let go of my maiden name, I didn’t want to surrender to being wife and mother in this land that felt exciting, but always a little foreign to me. I was afraid that if I didn’t work, I would lose my sense of self, which already felt compromised living so far from home.

So, though Alabama isn’t Virginia, it’s a similar landscape, climate, and culture. With this in mind, the idea of raising a family here relaxed me immediately, and now the reality of it has continued this feeling, to find me sliding, sweetly and softly, down a little toddler slide into a soft, downy bed of ease.

I mean it. I went yesterday to the social security office and changed my name. Legally! I haven’t even told my dad yet that I’m officially a Dumars (although I imagine I’ll continue to work as a Friedman, since that’s how I started). And speaking of work, I’m not. I’m actually challenging myself to six whole months of homemaking, mothering, and learning to cook (yikes!!) before I make the decision as to whether or not I’m going to a) have another baby or b) dive back into my various realms of money-making. This challenge is for a couple of reasons…the first being that I tend to take on too much, right away, before I really think about whether it supports the life I want to lead, or not. I want to move into the next phase of my life deliberately, not frantically. The second reason for my six month hiatus is that I’m coming off of a couple of crazy years, and I think my body, mind, and daughter need me to slow down and be there for them. I figure after six months, I’ll either really want another babe in my arms, or I’ll run screaming from the kitchen & nursery, eager to get going again.

I have an inkling, though, that the truth will lie somewhere in between. That eventually I will write and publish again, or teach yoga again, or pack my schedule again with speaking engagements, but for now, and for six months, let’s just see what happens.

(As an aside… I am scheduled to speak at James Madison University in a couple of weeks, and I’m due on a radio show in April. So I guess I can’t say I won’t work at all, just…less. It really is a challenge for me to take time off. One newspaper that reviewed my book referred to me as a Type A+, and they weren’t talking about my blood, rather, my crazy drive to do it all, do it well, and do it now. As cool as this looks from the outside, it can be exhausting for the person living that life.)

Finally, for those who have been asking for photos, hang on a little longer! My camera is broken and things are a bit too chaotic (boxes everywhere!) for me to be that organized yet!