So we had our little epiphany a couple of weeks ago, and we have been slowly working at making our home a bright little spot. There has been some (sot of) success. The yardwork with DH led to a proliferation of peppermint. So much so that we had to throw some out. But we have extract, leaves for tea, and I froze some for "just in case we need it" over the winter. And....the plant is still going strong! We added it to salad, and we all decided we don't care for peppermint in our salad. We also wound up with quite a few home-baked yummies to eat, although with teenagers in the house, there is never enough to share! LOL!
One of our local charities is having a rummage sale, and we found 3 boxes of "stuff" to donate. It is amazing how many clothes teenage girls can have, and still say they have nothing to wear! But all the too-small stuff is now sorted out and on it's way to a new home.
To avoid tv time, I have been crocheting dishcloths for the Christmas bazaars in town. I am hoping to get a few for me, a few for a friend, and a big stack for the bazaars. Those are pretty fluid goals, but that means whatever I get done will be great!
I sometimes worry that we spend more money trying to save money. Maybe it would be cheaper to have cable instead of sewing a couple of dresses or getting some berries canned. But I just don't think I would really enjoy tv that much. Sure, renting a movie is great, but not all the time.
Now off to spend the remainder of my evening working on something productive and enjoyable! (
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
We had an epiphany! (but not a big one)
Lately our little town has been in the news quite a bit for less than flattering reasons. It was mortifying. It was depressing. And everyone who left said was saying "we told you to get out!" And then it dawned on us while discussing the events after the kids went to bed.
No one sees any reason for our little town to exist. Serving tourists and aging retirees just doesn't cut it when your kids are talking about growing up. Working in a nursing home or a motel isn't going to pay the rent. Now, if someone is called to those in their life, they ought to be payed well enough to stay off the government programs. Those are hard jobs. I worked in a motel, and it only lasted 6 months. Even as a housekeeper, it is HARD WORK. Your back and feet ache, you smell like cleaning solutions all the time. You never have a weekend with your family. I think elder care is worse (although for those called to it, I think the blessings greater.)
But when all the kids in town know that their choices as adults are motel, nursing home/in home care, or restaurants? Why indeed is our little town here?? It can't be just the tourists.
And it dawned on us.
There is no opportunity here.
I'm not talking about just economic, because face it, we don't live our lives to pay bills. We were not created by a bank. I'm talking about buying a home, getting married, and all the other things that lead to us having the opportunities to be part of something greater than ourselves.
And how to fix it??
By creating opportunities. And maybe they are small ones.
May be it's just having nieces and nephews over to play in the yard while the gown-ups have some coffee.
Maybe it's spending that time in the garden with your spouse instead in front of the t.v.
Maybe it's teaching your kids how to bake so they take goodies to grandparents.
Maybe it's getting rid of that box of extra crap in the hall closet. (We did that 5 times. In one week!)
Maybe it's committing to a new volunteering opportunity, meeting new people, and learning new things.
Because then we started seeing something bigger than us.
Then the cousins want suzie q to teach them a new joke or song.
Then you discover your amazing husband is even more amazing. (Or when things have been tough, you remember that he is amazing.)
And the grandparents realize that the kids are perfectly happy hearing stories about mom or dad over milk and cookies instead of being constantly "entertained."
Then you realize that the box of crap was actually really useful for a family that lost everything in a fire. And you spend less time digging around for your scarf.
Then you meet the women who have a had a houseful of kids, a husband with a terrible job, and you find out that this *is* what it's supposed to be life.
Then it isn't about a life of servitude to tourists, or mopping halls, or cooking the same dish 500 times a day. Those are just the lousy parts. And it's ok, because there are some amazing parts that come with it.
But when you're just trying to keep yourself and your family afloat, you can't take advantage of those opportunities when they do come up.
So for our house, everyday, we each do something to make our home a place of opportunities. And maybe they'll spread. And maybe they won't. But at least it will be one little spot of hope and cheer in a town overrun by hopelessness. And sometimes those little acts lead to greater acts. The hour in the garden in May leads to extra muffins and jam to share in September. The power bill slowly decreases as everyone finds other, more interesting things to do.
No one sees any reason for our little town to exist. Serving tourists and aging retirees just doesn't cut it when your kids are talking about growing up. Working in a nursing home or a motel isn't going to pay the rent. Now, if someone is called to those in their life, they ought to be payed well enough to stay off the government programs. Those are hard jobs. I worked in a motel, and it only lasted 6 months. Even as a housekeeper, it is HARD WORK. Your back and feet ache, you smell like cleaning solutions all the time. You never have a weekend with your family. I think elder care is worse (although for those called to it, I think the blessings greater.)
But when all the kids in town know that their choices as adults are motel, nursing home/in home care, or restaurants? Why indeed is our little town here?? It can't be just the tourists.
And it dawned on us.
There is no opportunity here.
I'm not talking about just economic, because face it, we don't live our lives to pay bills. We were not created by a bank. I'm talking about buying a home, getting married, and all the other things that lead to us having the opportunities to be part of something greater than ourselves.
And how to fix it??
By creating opportunities. And maybe they are small ones.
May be it's just having nieces and nephews over to play in the yard while the gown-ups have some coffee.
Maybe it's spending that time in the garden with your spouse instead in front of the t.v.
Maybe it's teaching your kids how to bake so they take goodies to grandparents.
Maybe it's getting rid of that box of extra crap in the hall closet. (We did that 5 times. In one week!)
Maybe it's committing to a new volunteering opportunity, meeting new people, and learning new things.
Because then we started seeing something bigger than us.
Then the cousins want suzie q to teach them a new joke or song.
Then you discover your amazing husband is even more amazing. (Or when things have been tough, you remember that he is amazing.)
And the grandparents realize that the kids are perfectly happy hearing stories about mom or dad over milk and cookies instead of being constantly "entertained."
Then you realize that the box of crap was actually really useful for a family that lost everything in a fire. And you spend less time digging around for your scarf.
Then you meet the women who have a had a houseful of kids, a husband with a terrible job, and you find out that this *is* what it's supposed to be life.
Then it isn't about a life of servitude to tourists, or mopping halls, or cooking the same dish 500 times a day. Those are just the lousy parts. And it's ok, because there are some amazing parts that come with it.
But when you're just trying to keep yourself and your family afloat, you can't take advantage of those opportunities when they do come up.
So for our house, everyday, we each do something to make our home a place of opportunities. And maybe they'll spread. And maybe they won't. But at least it will be one little spot of hope and cheer in a town overrun by hopelessness. And sometimes those little acts lead to greater acts. The hour in the garden in May leads to extra muffins and jam to share in September. The power bill slowly decreases as everyone finds other, more interesting things to do.
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