Brooke Carlson Wild Earth

06/15/2026

There has been a topic that has been loudly calling my attention lately: Frog Farming.
In Alison Armstrong's book The Queen's Code, she describes frog farming as the unconscious habit of bringing out the worst in someone while believing we're merely reacting to who they are. She describes it as taking a prince and, through certain patterns of interpretation and interaction, turning him into a frog (though frog farming can happen in any relationship-not just romantic ones).

Over the past week in the Garden Center, several men have joked with me expressing variations of the same sentiment about not trusting themselves to make a correct decision and anything they do will be wrong according to their wives. They make these comments in jest but it actually made me sad and reflect upon my own relationship and how I've potentially been frog farming my prince.

I've spent much of my life being fiercely independent. If something needed to be done, I did it. If there was a problem, I solved it. If I needed help, I usually figured it out myself. For years, I wore that independence like a badge of honor and in many ways, it served me well. But lately I've noticing that that same strength has also come with a cost...

When someone repeatedly says, "I've got it," and rarely asks for help eventually others stop offering and as I've reflected on my marriage, I've realized there may have been times when my independence unintentionally drowned out opportunities for my husband to show up in ways that might have left him feeling capable and valuable. I truly believe most good men want to contribute, they want to help, they want to protect, provide, solve problems, and feel useful to the people they love. And perhaps many good women want that too, while simultaneously making it difficult for anyone to help because they've become so accustomed to carrying everything themselves.

In this season of my life, I've found myself craving more masculine energy in our relationship (more holding, more help, more decision making) while also recognizing some of the ways I've unintentionally suppressed it throughout the years. Not necessarily with criticism or control, but with competence.

06/13/2026

Decision paralysis- a true modern-day dilemma.

Last night, we had our first free weekend night open in a long while. How should we make the most of this treasured summer evening? A lake night with friends, a quintessential small-town carnival, an outdoor concert in the grass, a comedy show? They all sounded like summer fun, but I began to feel overwhelmed by choice overload.

This is not something new.

You want to watch a movie and spend an hour scrolling through multiple streaming services trying to decide what you're in the mood for. You go to the grocery store and there are, literally, twenty types of jelly. The new restaurant you try has a huge menu and it all sounds delicious. You start planning a family vacation- where do you go, where do you stay, where do you eat, what do you do? And seriously, with all of the career options, what am I going to be when I grow up?! 😆

How do we decide with so many options? How do we not become completely overwhelmed by choice overload?

In moments like these, I find myself returning to a few sayings that have served me well over the years (I even have them posted on my fridge as reminders).

Everything is a win when the goal is experience.

The only wrong choice is no choice.

There is no failure, only feedback.

So, I simply ask myself, "What feels most alive right now?" Then I go with it.

In all reality, most of these choices aren't life-altering and don't need to be perfect. Besides, I'd rather spend less time evaluating life and more time living it.

Seeds for thought... plant them or scatter them to the wind.

06/12/2026

Take care of yourselves, kin. Your lower case o needs you. ⭕️

06/05/2026

I feel like, sometimes, the best teachers are the ones just a few steps ahead of us on the trail, turning back to point out the signposts and landmarks we may have overlooked or missed...

06/01/2026

05/31/2026

Random Sunday Morning Musings:

Many people need a villain... It's an interesting observation I've made over the years.

At work- someone to blame for poor communication, lack of education, limited effort, or incompetence.

Within families- often "the black sheep", someone to blame for disconnection, different perspectives, alternative choices, or unique ways of moving through the world.

In society- the government, the landlord, the corporation, "the system"- easy explanations for why we're being held back.

But that's part of the nature of duality... The friction, the resistance, the pressure that compels movement, change, innovation, and growth.

The interesting thing is that while we are often busy assigning villains in our own stories, we may be cast as the antagonist in someone else's, and that's okay. We don't need to control the roles others assign us. That's their story.

The question is, who do we choose to be in our own?

05/28/2026

Random *real* cloud thoughts today:

They don't want you
lying on your back
in the grass
looking at the clouds
for they fear
that your thoughts
may become too loud
that you may see, again,
with your real eyes
and realize
that it's all
an exquisitely choreographed show
and they don't want you to know
what's behind the curtain.
They want you working yourself
to the bone
so that when you come home
you're too tired to dissent.

Brooke M Carlson

05/05/2026

No agenda to tend to.

No expectation to uphold.

No insistence to change.

Just awareness, curiosity, and compassion held in this particular moment...

Seeds for thought... plant them or scatter them to the wind...