Wild & Graceful Living: A Vision for My Beautiful Life

Visualization and creating the ideas of the life you desire are steps toward living it.

This, for me, is a vision of the life I am creating one step at a time. Some elements I already do, others I aspire to. Please read through my vision for the life I believe I was created to live, and be inspired to imagine your life as you would like to live it.

The vision

I live in a small, cozy farmhouse tucked into the rolling hills of Tennessee — somewhere just outside a charming small town, where the air smells like fresh grass and woodsmoke in the evenings. My home is warm and lived-in, filled with books, heirloom quilts, cozy chairs, houseplants, dried flowers hanging in the kitchen, and a wide porch that catches the morning sun.

A garden stretches behind my house, a real working garden, but also a sanctuary. Rows of herbs, vegetables, wildflowers, and a little greenhouse where I start seeds early in the spring. Maybe a few chickens wander through the yard, pecking and clucking, adding a hum of life to the air. My big yellow dog lounges at my feet as I sip my coffee on the porch, journal resting on my knee.

My work is a natural extension of my life, not a 9-to-5 grind but a weaving together of passions. I write blog posts and short reflections, beautiful, honest, hopeful pieces about slow living, faith, nature, healing, aging gracefully, and creating a life connected to the seasons and the Holy Spirit. I create simple digital products like wellness journals, slow living guides, and maybe even host monthly or seasonal virtual workshops, about topics like “Creating a Graceful Autumn” or “Herbal Remedies for Winter Wellness.”

I film short, authentic videos, sometimes funny, sometimes heartfelt, just sharing little glimpses of my garden, my canning projects, walks in the woods, simple herbal recipes, encouragement for women starting over, or just simple, quiet reflections with a candle lit beside me. Nothing fancy, just real, beautiful, and gently inspiring. Through my blog, affiliate products, and occasional brand collaborations (only with brands I love and believe in), I earn a steady, modest but sufficient income, enough to cover my needs, enjoy small luxuries, and bless others. I also have a trickle of income from things like my Etsy shop, where I sell printables, or “Wild & Graceful Living” memberships, where a small community gathers online for encouragement and learning.

My days have a peaceful rhythm. Mornings start slowly, with prayer, coffee, journaling, tending my animals, and my garden. Mid-mornings might be for creating, writing, filming, posting a blog, or video. Afternoons often mean hands-on work, gardening, herbal preparations, baking, preserving food, crafting gifts, or just resting when needed. Evenings are for slowing down, simple whole food dinners, reading, watching the sunset, phone calls with family, or gathering with a few close friends around a fire pit in the cooler months.

People know and love me in my community, not for being flashy, but for being real, kind, helpful, encouraging, funny, grounded, and faithful. People trust me. They feel safer and stronger after talking with me. I feel peace, knowing I am finally living life in alignment with my heart: Faithful. Creative. Free.

It’s not perfect — life never is — but it’s right. It’s mine and it’s beautiful.

Your Turn

Now, dear friend, it's your turn.

Take a moment. Dare to imagine, and start creating, the life you were meant to live!

Tamara Bernal

April 2025