EDUCATION GUEST POST SARAH FROM: Love love, lady

This week’s guest post on Education comes from Sarah from Love love, lady. What first attracted me to Sar's blog was her honest and her open heart. Make sure you pop over to Sar's blog and Facebook page and give her lots of love.

I am blessed to live in a country, which allows me the honour of a quality education no matter my gender, cultural background or social status. An education I have freely accepted, and often taken for granted (apologies to my ninth and tenth grade teachers!). I have had the freedom to choose a specialty education; immersing myself in a creative arts degree tailored to my desire to produce and perform. Yet it is the ‘life education’ I have experienced which has moulded and formed my being the most.

Now, before I ramble on too much, I feel I should fill you in on a little of my background:

Much of my life thus far has been influenced by my Christian upbringing - I lived a quiet and ‘normal’, God-led childhood in a middle class family, with my father, mother and two younger sisters. I received a combination of public and private school education, and (voluntarily) attended a local community church throughout my teenage years.

I should add that although I was firmly indoctrinated in this Christian upbringing, I was most definitely the black sheep amongst the flock, and it was obvious from a young age - always curious, outspoken and embarrassingly inquisitive of all I was taught.

The reason I speak of my ‘good Christian-girl’ upbringing is that many, including my biological family, perceive my lifestyle now to be a contradiction of that education. I’m not going to delve much into it, other than to say that, I live harmoniously in my spiritual and lifestyle choices. I am happily gleefully committed to a lovely woman who enriches my days through sharing her knowledge and passions with little ol’ me.

I believe being kind, loving and humble are honourable attributes in a person, no matter their past, present or future. I believe we are all deserving of equal education opportunities.

Through years of toil in formal education I have finally discovered that I learn by ‘doing’. I need to hear, see and feel for my mind to fully absorb and process.

Much of the knowledge I have gained has been via life experiences - getting my hands dirty, my heart broken...and pieced back together again, and my mind awakened by all that this incredible world contains. I have lived in and through famine, homelessness and intense depression. I have been blessed with the companionship and friendship of many beautiful souls, and I have experienced the physical and emotional loss of too many of those relationships. I have experienced the satisfaction of providing for myself and my family through honest, hard work. Most of all, I have loved and been loved, unconditionally. It’s because of these life experiences that I am, well, me.

We live in a world of immense experiences - all offering up equally vast opportunities for education. I will never cease learning from those around me, and I am excited for the day that I have the opportunity to pass my knowledge onto my own young. To create and shape a life through my own experiences will be my greatest achievement, I’m sure.

It’s an honour to gain knowledge from one another - to educate and be educated is what makes us human - it unites us.

* My many thanks to Julie for inviting me into your beautiful space and for the opportunity to share my voice on a topic close to our hearts. Sar xx

Please Note: Images and words are Sarah's unless otherwise indicated