“You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both.”
–Brené Brown
Hello and welcome to josundberg.com. Thank you for being here!
My website is Live! And miraculously I am still Alive.
It’s been a journey. A journey worthy of Joseph Campbell’s hero/ine I dare to say. My hair is grey and as long as the manes of my 1980’s North Shore horse riding friends. Free and Easy. My eyebrows, which my ex beauty therapist said no longer exist, now that I am “old”, have become not two but one. My running shoes have become Holy and Holey: Regularly and Slowly stepping it out in nature to clear the head. But you know what, I don’t care about that outer “stuff.” I feel amazing. You really can’t focus on a beauty regime when you are working on putting your life out into the www.Universe. A health regime, however, is absolutely integral. You’ll need the strength and clarity. So while you all met at Cork bar to drink mojitos and buzz with your Bumble dates, this Jo was fuelling her own mojo by snuggling into bed at 8pm with a cup of chamomile tea and a hottie. Not the kind of “hottie” you may have taken to bed. This hottie was made of rubber. NO, not that kind. God, honestly you guys. But just because I know your head is now going down this path I did a google search for you and found an “inoffensive” male blow up doll for $39.90. Just in case your date didn’t go so well.
Those early nights helped me prepare for a 4.45 am start under the stars. This is when I’m at my most productive, before family wakes and work and life commitments call. I realise not everyone does it this way. But for me there was no other way. When you know nothing changes if nothing changes you have to make changes. Anyone can find the time to pursue their passion. If you really want to you CAN. When you wake every morning with a purpose and a fire in your heart your step will lighten and your life will be injected with meaning. A disclaimer here that some mornings my step is very heavy indeed and I’ve lost my heart and soul to my monkey mind. A mind which is filled with a huge list of “to do’s” and a near crippling anxiety. No journey exists without these times. I have found many ways to move through those moments back to a place of expansion where anything is possible.
Early starts do come with a coffee cup refill warning. But you know what, you also get to witness the most f***ing amazing sunrises like right now! Take a pause and look up. This is Everything. That sky, those mountains with a fresh dusting of snow from a Southerly blast. Everything fresh and new. A clean slate. A new page. Every day. A new beginning.
This isn’t just a website. It’s a statement. It’s not just a business. It’s my life offering.
My writing, my values, and the sacredness of Home and Nature underpin everything here.
This has been a dream of mine for many years; to create a platform to express and offer what I am passionate about. And there is so much more. I am bursting with ideas.
It has taken grit and determination, discipline and courage. It was at times as painful as giving birth, with the outcome not quite as beautiful, but a baby that I am nonetheless staring at with pride and joy.
This journey will continue, changing and evolving, taking new paths, sticking with ones that feel good underfoot. Let’s walk together because it’s good to hold hands.
P.S I pant and drool over Brené Brown and I get her point about courage over comfort. But, I do believe that on your courageous journey you CAN choose a wee bit of comfort. Hot water bottles, comfy undies, warm merino clinging tight over your skin, hugs with loved ones. All of this is essential on your journey. A grounding to come back to when you are so so far out of your comfort zone nothing feels known and familiar. You’ll look up and out at those wise and strong mountains, take a deep breath, and keep going. You keep going. Step by step. Moment by moment.