100 Years Too Late

Have you ever been told you were born a hundred years too late?

Or maybe you just feel like you were...
I know I do at times.

There are some things that can help bring a sense of yesteryear

into your today though.

(Hubby's anvil.)

I'm sharing these things as much as a reminder to myself as I am for you.

June was pretty rough around here.

I could throw a fabulous pity-party for one,

but I like to say, "What you seek, you will find."

That said, I'd like to gear my focus towards something more positive.

Sometimes we just need to re-center ourselves and proceed.

So let's proceed~

(Queen Ann's lace.)

The first thing we can do is Stop.

Just stop. 
Stop trying to change the unchangeable.

Take a breath.

Regardless of the romanticism, people had jobs 100 years ago.

They had to be to work on time just like we do.

So why does it seem so hectic today?

Distractions are one thing, but really, it's the willingness 

to accept what we cannot change.  

If it takes 20 minutes to get to work, and you are leaving 5 minutes late,

don't attempt to make it to work in 15 minutes.

You might not make it at all.

Accept that you will be late and 

make every effort so that it doesn't happen again tomorrow.

This is counter to the message that we are told today

"Power at your fingertips, control with the push of a button, etc."

We can neither change nor control time, period, end of story, fin.

Accept. Move on.

(Rip eyeing a good stick.)

Thing Two is children.

When did parents' lives begin catering to children?

About 100 years ago, the average number of children per household was 9!

Can you imagine if all 9 were going in separate directions?

I'm not saying don't let Billy play soccer, but maybe it should be 

an exception rather than a "right."  

A child needing his/her own calendar is crazy.

Children should aspire to be adults rather than 

adults aspiring to live like children.

My kids are now grown (though munchkins forever in my eyes:).

But I see this in frazzled friends and co-workers.

They are merely a shuttle service to and from their children's activities.

Prioritize.

Family should come first.

(Yum.)

Next, Cook.

I know this sounds almost cliche, but there's more to it.

The act of handling your food renders it more respected.

And yes, food can be respected.

Get the family involved.

If a child mashes the potatoes, he's more apt to eat them.

There will be more reluctance to waste food and best of all,

it's far healthier for you.

I won't dwell here, but will say the act of sharing the preparation,

the cooking, the eating, and cleaning up from a meal

is strengthening in many ways.

(Just a weed.)

(((electronics)))

I tried to type that quietly so I don't get e-flogged.

I'm not going to tell you to go without or shut them off completely.

I get it.

They are part of our lives.

The thing is, they are tools.

Don't let a device control you.

Weather it's a phone or TV or computer, put it in its place.

A phone is a tool to communicate.

A computer is a research tool.

And a television is a tool to entertain.

Here's a personal example:

I used to check my email, blog, etc. in the mornings before work.

 Of course, it's easy to be lured to this or that just by clicking.

"They" know that and do it on purpose.

Once it dawned on me that nothing that comes via email (etc.) is urgent,

I decided to wait until I had a break at work to check.

This has done two things for me - 

it gave me more morning time and

it put a limit on my browsing time.

(Hubby's post-leg vise.)

Also, Maintain.

By maintaining your items, you'll save money 
by not having to repurchase them.
We live in a throw-away society, 
designed specifically to separate you from your money.
Weather it's shoes and shelves or lawn mowers and laundry baskets,
before tossing something, ask yourself if it can be repaired.
Then even if you spend $10 to repair a $100 item, look at it as saving $90.

(Corner of the cabinet.) And lastly ~ Make ~ 
Make something or find a hobby.
The possibilities are endless.
My mom is known as the local cookie lady.
She makes cookies for just about any "special" event in town.
You could make a garden, make a car, make a quilt, make a cabinet.
There are plenty of studies indicating that people who seem to live only for their work tend to die shortly into retirement.
Nobody wants to be that person.

(Sitting on a rock by the river.) All in all, these are very doable tasks.
You don't have to jump in with both feet.
For that matter, you don't have to jump at all.
But if you'd like a bit more peace and a little less chaos,
maybe pick one or two points and work towards them.
It's not a test, nor is it a race.
There's no winner or loser, but with any luck,
you'll (I'll) be more at ease, have clearer thoughts, and feel better overall.

Like I said, June was a rough month.
Feeling off kilter and going 100 mph is a wreck waiting to happen.
I needed to find my center.
Home is my "center."  
In the past week, I've been concentrating on seeing what is important to me and trying to rid myself of those things that aren't that somehow 
finagled their way into my life.
For me, having home in order (or at least somewhat) is grounding.
I think that's a part of the past that we long for.
You could count on dinner at dinner time.
Grandma always grew daffodils.
Uncle Joe could fix anything on wheels.
It's how it was ~ dependable.
When things change gradually, it can be difficult to spot the changes.
Once we figure out just where we are and where we want to be,
it is easier to find the way.
Sometimes, it's necessary to back-track a bit to get back on course.
It works the same for time as it does for road maps.  
Sometimes, looking to the past is the way forward.

Were you born 100 years too late?