Cecilie Conrad logo - dark
Cecilie Conrad logo - light
⌘K
Blog Podcast Unschooling Parent consultant About me
bBlog
pPodcast
uUnschooling
pParent consultant
aAbout me
Back

To find what can not be found | Day 312 of my 2023 Journal

Cecilie Conrad·Nov 9, 2023

To find what can not be found.

“Certainly, you have to be lost to find the places that can not be found,” Captain Barbosa says in Pirates of the Caribbean. I am holding on to that as I implode, falling into the depths behind my own traps, not knowing who I am or what I am doing, how to get back on track, or how to find any balance.

It is a radical problem, as I am currently writing a book on balance. I believe in my project and my insights, yet I sometimes fall and fall and fall, just like Alice in Wonderland; I keep falling into a confusing darkness with rareties staring at me.

I know I have to give in to it; I know it will pass; I know it is part of the process; it is what it is. Not a sign of something gone wrong, just a reminder that I am awake and adjusting. It seems to me the hours are flying by, and I sometimes feel I have no clue, no stamina, no power.

Can balance be found in life? It is for sure like happiness. True happiness, described by the word in my language, is a word held much more dear: “lykke” - the happiness that shines with contentment, peace, and sparkling strong emotion simultaneously. This kind of happiness is not a destination; it can never be reached. It can, indeed, be aimed for, and finding balance is part of that aim.

Where happiness is like a portal we walk through that will disappear if we stop and try to stay in it, balance is a moving exercise. When you ride a bike, it isn't very easy to keep your balance if you are not moving forward at the same time. Unconsciously, balance is kept while looking for traffic or birds and pedaling along the path under the blue sky or in the rain. Balance is tricky to keep when we stop to think about it, but even harder to keep in the long run if we NEVER stop to think about it - so here is the rub.

Sometimes, we must get lost to find the impossible, allow the falling to arrive in a transformed reality, and close our eyes to truly see. Follow the stories of Barbosa, Alice, and The Little Prince, and listen to the absolute truth in the Big Narratives we love.

So I went for a walk. A long one. Looked at the murals, the birds, the squirrels, and the ocean, and when I came back, the movement had put me back on track; I had found the momentum to keep going, fumbling my way toward balance.

With love

Cecilie-Underskrift-300x133

Cecilie Conrad

Thank you for reading
I would love to hear from you. Listen to your thoughts and reflections - or praise :) It is often emotional to share our lives like this, and we get very happy when we get your feedback. So feel free to share a comment below 😋 

See more images on Facebook

Previous Beyond the Destination: Discovery and Connection | Day 312 (again) of my 2023 Journal
Next Contemplating Silence: A Personal Reflection on Disconnect and Discontent | Day 311 (again) of my 2023 Journal

Comments

Write a comment...
00:00 Recording...

Unschooling and Parent consulting, conversations, blogposts, and podcasts on family life and learning

Hi, I'm Cecilie Conrad. I'm a trained psychologist, mother of four, radical unschooler and full-time traveller. I have lived with unschooling for over a decade and help other families find their own path – whether it is about homeschooling, unschooling, or the bigger question of how you want to live as a family.

I offer guidance, conversations and talks. I call my work grandmothering – not coaching in the traditional sense, but presence, professional insight and concrete help navigating motherhood and finding your way home to your own values.

Am I the right person to help you? You can book a free discovery call, and we'll talk and figure it out.

Unschooling & Parent Consultant
Grandmothering – not coaching. Read more here

Listen to my podcasts

I share my knowledge and curiosity about family life and learning in my two podcasts.

Listen here
Listen here

Read my latest blogposts

Parachute guy, the women, and yet another bonfire | Day 117 of my 2023 Journal
During D-day, one of the parachuters had the bad luck of getting stuck hanging from the church tower. As the village at the time was taken over by th…Read more
Climbing in Caen | Day 116 of my 2023 Journal
To be challenged into a comfort zone is a very healthy thing. When we do things we would normally not do, we discover new elements of our vulnerabili…Read more
The Bayeux Tapestry and how we absorb | Day 115 of my 2023 Journal
The way history is taught in schools, dripping from a curriculum, emerging from books written for “children” underestimating their intelligence will,…Read more
Hotel Beaumont and Starwars | Day 114 of my 2023 Journal
Just like the Hotel Beaumont was in many ways a re-play, we can never enter the same river twice, and watching Star Wars with Fjord was like visiting…Read more
Mama Mia Marathon | Day 113 of my 2023 Journal
It is so lovely to see a group of teenagers not afraid to show up in their nightgown, not afraid to be silly, not afraid to wear a pink unicorn jumps…Read more
Playtime | Day 112 of my 2023 Journal
Free play is at the center of Peter Gray's thinking, and I agree very much, especially with the “free” element. Play is this funny adult construction…Read more
Happy Birthday to me | Day 111 of my 2023 Journal
On my birthday, honestly, a few days ago, as I was “falling behind,” I did not have to plan anything. The castle stay is already a party, and there i…Read more
On math and unschooling - Rome Easter 2023
What if math was voluntary? What if we recognize the fact that all math, including high school level, can be learned by a motivated person in 3 month…Read more
The Big Bad Curriculum | Day 110 of my 2023 Journal
Children are fed into the schooling machine, and inside that machine is an agenda, a vast and complex and not very transparent secret agenda called T…Read more
Previous 1 2 3 … 31 32 33 34 35 … 48 49 50 Next
Parachute guy, the women, and yet another bonfire | Day 117 of my 2023 Journal
During D-day, one of the parachuters had the bad luck of getting stuck hanging from the church tower. As the village at the time was taken over by th…Read more
Climbing in Caen | Day 116 of my 2023 Journal
To be challenged into a comfort zone is a very healthy thing. When we do things we would normally not do, we discover new elements of our vulnerabili…Read more
The Bayeux Tapestry and how we absorb | Day 115 of my 2023 Journal
The way history is taught in schools, dripping from a curriculum, emerging from books written for “children” underestimating their intelligence will,…Read more
Hotel Beaumont and Starwars | Day 114 of my 2023 Journal
Just like the Hotel Beaumont was in many ways a re-play, we can never enter the same river twice, and watching Star Wars with Fjord was like visiting…Read more
Mama Mia Marathon | Day 113 of my 2023 Journal
It is so lovely to see a group of teenagers not afraid to show up in their nightgown, not afraid to be silly, not afraid to wear a pink unicorn jumps…Read more
Playtime | Day 112 of my 2023 Journal
Free play is at the center of Peter Gray's thinking, and I agree very much, especially with the “free” element. Play is this funny adult construction…Read more
Happy Birthday to me | Day 111 of my 2023 Journal
On my birthday, honestly, a few days ago, as I was “falling behind,” I did not have to plan anything. The castle stay is already a party, and there i…Read more
On math and unschooling - Rome Easter 2023
What if math was voluntary? What if we recognize the fact that all math, including high school level, can be learned by a motivated person in 3 month…Read more
The Big Bad Curriculum | Day 110 of my 2023 Journal
Children are fed into the schooling machine, and inside that machine is an agenda, a vast and complex and not very transparent secret agenda called T…Read more
Previous 1 2 3 … 31 32 33 34 35 … 48 49 50 Next
See all my blogposts
Cecilie Conrad logo - dark
Cecilie Conrad logo - light
Blog
All my blogposts Unschooling 365 Days Challenge 2023
Podcast
The Ladies Fixing the World Self Directed
About me
My story - Cecilie Conrad Stay Updated: Get my Newsletter Visit my danish site CecilieConrad.dk
Consulting
Parent and unschooling support Free Discovery Call - Text me on WhatsApp Testimonials: What Others Say Prices and payment options