Guest Post: The “Alternative” Lifestyle Can Be Lonely

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Today we have a guest post from Jaclyn of Natural Mommain, all about natural living.  Welcome, Jaclyn!

The more I get into “natural” or “alternative” living, the more I seem to alienate myself from those around me.

It’s not something I intend or want to do; it just happens.  Let’s be honest.  No matter how sure you are about the decisions you make, it’s really hard to be questioned by friends and family.  I tend to want to share everything I learn, even if that sometimes means people will either a) get mad at me or b) look at me like I’m a lunatic.

“No, we didn’t go to the doctor when we all had bronchitis, we just drank some tea infused with garlic.”

“Yes, we’re going to have this baby at home.”

“No, I don’t plan on taking the baby to see a doctor after he/she is born”

And my personal favorite: “Yes, I make my own lotion/deodorant/laundry detergent/bread/insert any item most people buy at the store here.”

If you’ve ever uttered any of these phrases, you have probably been met with an incredulous response at least once. 

Then the explanations start: “Yes, I’ve done my research; yes I feel comfortable with our decision.”  If you’re lucky, the conversation will end there.  But, if you’re like me, you may often find yourself racking your brain for all of the information you’ve researched about the topic (I wish I could pull up charts and data in my brain with the click of a button!) so you can spew statistics like a human computer.  Also, if you’re like me, you will leave the conversation feeling dejected, frustrated and lonely.

By Faith, Noah Built the Ark

So, tired of finding myself in this predicament, I sometimes find myself withdrawing instead.  I have learned to be discreet about certain decisions that we make as a family about our nutrition and health.  It can be incredibly lonely to not join in on conversations because you lack common ground with your counterparts. 

Note from Kate: Definitely yes.  I remember going to a party for a friend a year ago and because I lacked common ground with just about everyone there, sitting silently unless asked a direct question and feeling very uncomfortable.  Although I still get together with that one friend, I don’t go to — and am not invited to — group gatherings anymore.  It’s for the best!

I was recently beginning to feel pretty low about my lack of friends who share both my faith and my commitment to natural living, when my midwife shared some wonderful words of wisdom with me: Hebrews 11:7- “ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”  Just by being obedient to the Lord, Noah cast condemnation over the rest of the world.  But the condemnation didn’t come from Noah; it came from the Lord.

Don’t Throw Your Pearls to the Pigs

How many times have you shared an opinion about something, only to have the recipient of said opinion immediately feel like you are judging them?  Or worse- they judge you?

I have come to the conclusion that all I can do is try and live as closely to the way the Lord would have me live as I can, and not worry about what that means for those around me.  That doesn’t mean I tell people they shouldn’t feed certain things to their children, nor do I give much explanation when I don’t let my own children have something that others are.  Only if someone asks questions or seems genuinely interested in why I make decisions the way I do, do I really get into the reasoning behind them.

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