I don't fancy myself a lover of technology, but I do have to say the DVR is one of the greatest inventions. No longer am I held captive by commercials or an entire show. For instance, when watching Andy Griffith I can skip Henry Winkler (aka the Fonz) pitching reverse mortgages to old people. Or maybe while watching American Idol you don't want to see Nikki Minaj play with her hair one more time....Fast Forward! While watching Ellen, I can skip ahead if I really don't care about Mario Lopez's pets. It's great! Now I either DVR a show or watch public television that doesn't have commercials.
People will often ask me if I have seen a certain commercial to which I must reply "I don't watch commercials." You can cut almost an hour off a two hour show by skipping commercials.
So this got me to thinking about the possibility of life being recorded on a DVR. How wonderful it would be to either skip ahead to avoid a winter that is getting too long (like this one) or I would love to skip to June 1st so our renter would be gone. You could also reverse so you could spend another day with loved ones that are gone or revisit your childhood. One might also want to spend some time with your children when they were young; just one more day watching them play in the park or snuggle in your arms. There is nothing like new love so wouldn't it be awesome to go back to the first few days of a new romance.
Of course, the rule would be that you couldn't change a thing; all would be left as it was. You wouldn't have the option of fast forwarding through the bad parts. You would also have to fast forward to reality once again. Well, I know this is a pipe dream but awful fun to think about.
Thought for the day: “No man is rich enough to buy back his past.” Oscar Wilde
Well, once again my confidence has been shaken. Since moving to Wisconsin in November of 2011, we have owned two homes. Our home in Minnesota is for sale but with the weak housing market, it is still ours. We began renting it in June of last year so this allowed me to begin my journey of leaving the workplace. About ten days ago, I received a telephone call informing me that the renter had taken his own life. This news immediately made my thoughts go in the direction of needing to find a job. Of course this was the only solution; we needed more money. I grappled with this for a few days until I regained some clarity of thought and then began to look at other possibilities. My daughter encouraged me not to look for a job; things would work out.
For the past couple days, I have had the classic experience of having two small figures (one of each shoulder) going back and forth with conflicting advice. My responsible classical thinking self tells me I have no choice while my "think outside the box" self informs me there must be other ways to make this work. It tells me you want the summer off and do not want to sit in some office again giving your time and energy to some thing you don't really care about. You want to be available for your family, your home, the outdoors, etc. If you had the knowledge that your life would end soon, where would you want to be?
So this is my life right now; back and forth between conflicting ideas. I truly want to continue this journey.
Thought for today: A man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the
director of his life. ~James Allen
Ever since I was a child, there has been a fascination for me with the past. The Amish have always intrigued me, the Little House book series was my favorite and there has been a feeling that I belonged more in the 1880s then the 1980s.
I even had this absurd concept that the world really was black and white at one time or at least there must have been less color. Subconsciously I think I believed that people had a difficult time functioning without modern inventions or conveniences.
With my extra time I have been watching some old movies and televison shows. Through this I have come to realize that my odd beliefs were not true. People lived life in color and grappled with the same human issues of today. They didn't go through daily life bemoaning what hadn't been invented; they just lived. If I look back at my own experience, there wasn't time spent contemplating what could or might be. Certain things such as rural electrification and modern washing machines certainly changed lives considerably. However, I would argue that even with modern conveniences, we still don't have more free time or a larger sense of fulfillment.
So I have been forced to look at the past in a different light and to realize that while some aspects may have been better; other realities were not. Much the same as our world today. There are parts of the world of the 1880s that I would embrace, but at the same time I would not want to return to a time when blacks and women had no rights. I am learning that each era has good and bad elements; perhaps we can choose to keep some of the good and be thankful some of the bad have been eradicated.
Thought for today: “The
distinction between past, present, and future is only a
stubbornly persistent illusion” Albert Einstein
Having lived now for almost 54 years, I have a few decades to contemplate. What I have been feeling lately is that at this stage in the history of mankind, there is too much of everything.
I grew up on a farm, went to a country type school, had one television channel and a party line telephone. Now the family farm has been diminished by corporate farms, country schools are no longer, there are hundreds of channels and cell phones rule the world. I am not naive in thinking that things shouldn't and won't change, but I also feel like we don't have to embrace things just because they exist.
Having all those television channels doesn't mean there is any thing worthwhile to watch and are we really more connected as a society just because we can be reached 24/7 via cell phone? I would say we are less connected and due to having too many choices and too many things, our minds are cluttered.
While I regret to admit I am a fan of American Idol, lately I have been wondering do we really need any more "artists". What happened to the time when people were just discovered and not forced. The channels are bogged down with "reality" shows. Are they reality? I highly doubt it. Why not embrace our own reality and make the most of each day rather than sitting around watching other people's lives? Why do we care about the Kardashians or the daily barrage of which star's relationship ended or who got a tattoo?
As a society we must not like our lives much if we are so enamored with the trivial details of others.
I would venture to say we were a happier people when we could walk into the local grocery store with less choices but where we were known and cared for. We were more contented when we watched our one channel rather than flipping through hundreds.
We were more connected when families and friends actually helped each other rather than were "friends" via Facebook. As Jay Leno once said, "when you need helping moving, you will find out just how many Facebook friends you really have."
I don't claim to be a Luddite, but I do believe it may be time to take a step back and reevaluate our priorities before our minds become as cluttered and overflowing as our landfills.
Thought for today: Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three,
and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and
keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. ~Henry David Thoreau
Yesterday it finally became clear to me that I am living my dream. It has now been 8 months since leaving the work force after 33 years of working in various offices. So you might wonder why did I just arrive at the realization. Well, I think it is because of the fear of it ending; therefore, I didn't want to fully enjoy it.
We had quite a bit of snow yesterday, and as I watched it come down it became clear to me that I didn't have to go out if I chose not to. That led to my pondering how nice it was to have the choice.
So then I asked myself why I wasn't fully enjoying this time which led me to the conclusion stated above. I further thought about it and told myself that every thing ends at some point, but we still take time to enjoy such things as childhood, family, romances, vacations, even life itself. This dream is so important to me that I don't want it to end. It has given me time to regroup, relax, rest, spend time with my kids and grandchildren, to just be. Now I am looking forward to spring and a summer without having to go to a job. Being at home and caring for the house and my husband is rewarding for me.
Now I am going to attempt to just enjoy every moment of it and not think of the possibility of it ending. If I do have to enter the work force again, I will try to do it with grace and thankfulness for the time I did have.
Thought for today: To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now. Thich Nhat Hanh
It has now been almost seven months since leaving the work force. For the first five months, I checked available jobs almost daily. I applied for a few with no avail. As time went on, I found myself looking weekly. Now I might look every couple of weeks, but in my heart I know I don't really want to ever go back.
I have no problem filling my time with housework, cooking, reading, resting and spending time with grandchildren. In fact, there are things I want to get done that still sit undone. Soon spring and summer will be back, and there will be plenty to do outdoors as well.
I am learning more about the world through reading and documentaries. There is time for soul searching and attempting to learn to live in the present moment. The following is a list of things that I need in my life in order to be a complete human being:
alone time
yoga
plenty of sleep
silence
books
family
nature
fresh air
I am learning to embrace who I am and not be ashamed of what is needed in my life to fully realize myself. Acceptance of my introverted nature and need for time away from people is being realized. It is okay to be who you are! What a freeing thought.
Maybe I will have to go back to work someday and if so, I will accept it the best I can. Maybe my dream will continue as it is, and for that I will be most grateful.
Thought for today: You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. John 8:32
Recently I have watched a movie, TV series and documentary that all spoke to the human condition of not being able to accept change and the need to move on. All of these were watched within a weeks' time, and I felt it was a message of sorts.
My daughter and I delved into watching the British series, Downton Abbey. I must say we become enthralled with it; it sweeps you away into another time period and way of life. The series begins in 1912 and so far brings you into the 1920s. These were times of great change, and the Lord of the manor has some difficulty with change as does his mother, the Dowager. The British, in particular, are steeped in customs and tradition. I watched them struggle tremendously with the younger generation's ideas of what the world should now become. They dragged their feet and shouted, but in the end usually relented and gave in.
I then watched the movie, The Artist, which was nominated for an Academy award last year and was a silent movie. It took me awhile to decide to watch it because I wasn't sure about the whole silent movie thing being done in the modern world. I was wrong; it was delightful and had a very good story line and wonderful message. The main male character, George Valentin, has been a successful silent movie actor. Suddenly, the world of "talkies" arrives, and he is no longer valuable. He protests and decides to make his own movies, keeping them silent. They are not successful, and he loses every thing. He then comes around and realizes that times have changed, and he must do the same.
Lastly, I watched a documentary about Henry Ford. His dream was to produce a reliable automobile at a reasonable price so the average American could own one, and it would change their life. He did this very well with this Model T; it did change lives and the country. When Dodge and Chrysler arrived and began making other models with a choice of colors, the game changed. However, Mr. Ford was determined to stay with his Model T because it was a part of him and by letting go of that, he felt it would be the end of himself. His son, Edsel, was now running the company and knew full well that change must come. Finally, Henry Ford gave in, and the Model A was born. He never forgave his son for having pushed for this change.
I can remember my father inquiring about certain pieces of equipment after he had to leave the farm. These things were a part of him and to have them gone was a reminder that the past was no longer and soon he would be gone. He had a feeling of not being useful as did these characters that I have mentioned. We all want to feel that we have a purpose.
It is interesting to observe human nature and realize that no matter how rich or poor we might be, there are similar battles we all must face. We are all human beings with the same weaknesses when you strip away societal trappings.
Thought for today: Move on, you cannot dry today's washing with yesterday's sun.
