One morning, around 7, I woke up to the sound of my elderly neighbor calling out for my dad. My dad was still asleep, and when I checked the time, I estimated he would still be asleep for the next two hours.
I went out (still grumbly from being woken up) and checked on the neighbor and see what she wanted. What I found was her on the wet dewy ground, with her two small dogs on the leash walking around her.
Her leg had given out under her, and she couldn’t bring herself back to standing.
I went over and helped her up, baring a good chunk of her weight as we limped her back to her chair inside.
“You’re worth your weight in gold” she says, not for the first time.
And I say “You know, this time, I might believe that.”
Now, I know I’ve said that this blog isn’t supposed to be about me.. And I have no intention on changing this over to be about my move or new life either. I plan to make that an entirely NEW blog.
But here is an example of how I was reminded lately, that I too have been changing things around me, without even realizing.
As time closes in on my time to leave what I consider my home town, I’ve been spending more time with the people around me…getting every minute I can. But in doing so I’ve realized that I have been filling in a niche this entire time…and that people rely on me being around and willing to help.
My friend needed sudden emergency pet sitting while she went off to a funeral. And while I had a place to be that weekend, we did manage to work it out. And I saw desperation there, and I knew she hadn’t yet found someone else to do that for her.
I am the friend of a family just a block or so away from her, that I’ve been turned into some sort of aunt figure for the kids that I’ve been babysitting for years. They’re under threat of being kicked out for a messy house, which two young boys aren’t helping with. I started coming once every week to help the cleaning, and sometimes just distract the two little tornados on legs. I wish I could help more, but that’s what I could give them…and I know they appreciate it.
I attended a couple card nights with my neighbor and her friends, and got some jobs from them, because I like to do, and am capable, of the more physical labor that they need done. And I’ve also been spending time helping my neighbor move from one house to another (thankfully right next door) and clean out her old place.
In a way, its sad that I’m only realizing this right before leaving…which makes it tempting to not leave at all…but it also strengthens me. I know I can network and fill in whatever niche I need to in my new life. (I just hope these people are ok without me)
And now, for something inspirational, and not about me.
—————–
(sorry I don’t know what the last video was about so I cant give any sort of fix to it)
Disclaimer: A note on the video below, it may or may not agree with your own personal political biases. I did not post it for a political agenda; I posted it as a sort of history lesson and as a story meant to be used as an inspirational outlook. It is also long, quiet and not very exciting with loud noises or anything. So while listening, you’re free to agree with and disregard as much of the political speak as you want.
The only thing I will say is that I believe an audience member will gain more by keeping an open mind, and not jumping to their first instinctive conclusion. And that’s mostly because people tend to stop listening if they think they already know what is going to be said.
All in all, its the stories here that are important- and knowing the value of things back in those days, how things generally were back then, and how one person moved an entire town and further out. I got some feel goods out of just hearing this one story from the multiple perspectives offered here. But it also gets one thinking.
So, if any of you have visited my facebook, you are probably aware that I’m a woman. I’ve gone into the field of welding. And I am much, much louder about my political beliefs there.
I do not regularly mention my political views here, because it doesn’t fit with the goal of this blog. The purpose here is to make others realize that anyone can make a difference, make a change in how people experience life and even change their own perceptions on the quality of their living reality. I won’t tell you who I voted for in 2016, just like I will not ask who you voted for. And for the purpose of helping all my readers, I do not care if you support Donald Trump or not. I don’t care if You hate the world socialism or not. I don’t care if you’re reading this on your S7 or whatever, or if you live the low-tech life style and are only reading this because of some mistaken click while your grandchild is navigating your browser for you. And I don’t care if you attend church regularly and can recite all the bible verses from memory, or if you just think you’ll turn into a tree when you die.
What I will tell you is that I am a somewhat normal American, I think. Possibly. Maybe. I have a respect for all people as human beings. I care if you’re a douche. I care if you look down on others without knowing them. I care if you only ever listen to your own opinion and don’t occasionally THINK about looking into the other side’s perspective. I care if you go online or on your phone and tell people to kill themselves. Because at that point, if you do any of these things, you’re contributing to a greater problem: The separation of mankind.
Now, yes, there will always be a “us vs them” mentality. Its natural, and while I want a world without it, it would take more than this blog to do it. It would take the efforts of a greater proportion of humanity to wipe away negativity on the scale that we have. But the fact that there is a rift in the world so large right now is dangerous. In America, the biggest conflict I have ever seen in my life, is about two candidates. I wont say much about them. I will say that children may as well have been disowned because of it. Thanksgivings and other family events, a thing that is still big in America even as society drifts apart, were canceled or close members of the family not invited. It is often said “Never talk about religion or politics.” (and given that sports teams winning or losing can result in riots, I suppose I have to defer to this saying for the time being) but I just…think it’s sad. You can have your opinions, I wont fault you for it, as its a great part of being human.
But this is a modern presidential election. First of all, the presidency has lost power. Part of that is because of the split of the branches of our government where there are two sides competing to be ‘in the right’ and they focus more on that and impeding the other side’s attempts to do things than they do actually getting things done.
We even had an event where the entire government shut down, because this fight came to a standstill.
The point is, there was this huge rift created in America(and the world) over an election that would mean almost nothing in 4-8 years. But, as some may have noticed, hardly any of the same sensationalism over who sits in the senate or congress, where the real battles on the majority of our federal rules are made. And that is the part that makes me sad. That people will destroy themselves for something they think is important but will disappear before the end of a decade. And the scars that have been made are huge; many families will never be the same. The united states won’t be the same.
Now if I haven’t driven you off with my hatred of 2016, I will continue on a slightly different topic. Millennial. I don’t hate Millennials either. Hell, even though I associate more with the 90’s kid” group than the overarching “Millennial” label, I have to admit to myself that its something I’m part of. I just don’t really approve of the label itself, partly because of how many decades it encompasses. Logically speaking, since it is 2017, it shouldn’t cover anyone over the age of 17. I’m sorry, it just shouldn’t. Those of us born in the 1900’s did not grow up with an IPAD or IPOD nearby. We grew up with video games and computers being these cool things that are just coming out. Shows like Pokemon and Digimon were our CareBears and Xmen. Its an entirely different subculture, one I can get into later but not now.
Now that that’s been said. I have no issues with the younger millenials, as long as they got decent manners and don’t go “fuck you” to everything under the sun. Now this is where it might get slightly political, but just because its personal and I hate generalizations. It has to do with the idea of “all millenials just automatically feel this ridiculous sense of entitlement.”
Please. Generalizations are bad. For me its like calling the generation before Baby Boomers “nymphos” or calling all people in 1970 Tree Huggers or something. Believe me, its as varied now days as it has ever been, and by making this kind of assumption around people of X group, it will obviously feel like you’re making an assumption about them as a person. For instance, there are foreigners who believe all Americans are fat, lazy, stupid slobs…but obviously we made Microsoft, and have you seen how skinny our models get? But do you get it?
And I can see this post being my least popular, or likely to get me many many haters. But if you hate me for saying “Please stop being hateful” then my best guess is that this blog isn’t going to be the right one for you.
But also, a note on the entitlement of our younger generations: There might be some. And yes, a great many of us have been conditioned to depend on keeping up to date on the latest technology. But as a sort of outcast from that generalized populous, let me tell you some things.
I grew up with an unsteady household, living with mom or dad for any amount of time. The majority of my life was spent with 3 channels on my tv, pokemon came on VCR as did all of my shows outside of those channels. I watched my dad figure out how to work a desktop, and learned some of it along side him. He actually learned a lot more than I ever did. I don’t recall ever having a handheld gaming device. I helped unload firewood to heat my home when I was 8. I didn’t cuss till highschool. I didn’t have a cellphone until highschool. I didn’t have an Ipod until someone gave it to me as a handme down. I have not until recent years, decided that a cellphone was essential in today’s society, and that’s because I had to go searching for a job. (went several years without one because I didn’t want to spend the money) I walked or road my bike the 2.6 miles it was from my general location to the local community college. I chose my own fields of study, and changed it twice. I make my own transportation happen, even though I currently don’t have a car or drivers license and wish that people understood that I believe feet are a more reliable form of transportation than a car or truck. And it frustrates me to no end seeing employers not understanding me when I say I can walk to work.
I currently have graduated college with a certificate in welding, and have a welding job lined up. I’m not afraid to get dirty to get my money, and there are many who are the same (but with a bit more reliance on technology, I’m weird that way.) And I think there’s some sort of…misconception about this new generation of young adults.
Now, I don’t approve of say, having your phone at the dinner table where people are trying to talk to you…but there are a couple layers at work here. For us 90’skids, were were brought into the good times, and brought up on the idea of going to college to do whatever you want and continue on with the good life. These were the times when being older than 20 and living in your mom’s basement was a matter of shame. But going into 2008 and onward, we’re seeing a point in time where half of us still carry this belief, and the other half actually have to live in the equivalent of their mom’s basements because they tried the adult life (that they weren’t taught how to live) and either failed, or are having a touch time of it.
Many Americans think that deadbeats are the only ones using governmental programs, even while the majority of americans (even those older than the oversweeping ‘millennial’ title) have to rely on these same programs to get them to the end of each month. And more and more americans are eating mcdonalds and ending up as the obese poor, which is a real thing. It happens because as Americans have been in a really long era of prosperity, they have more resources to put into conveniance foods. With more conveniance foods (canned soups, fast food, hamburgerhelper) there’s less need to learn to cook and budget a healthy variety of food. Well now the economy sucks, and there’s 3rd generation people that never learned to cook, that have to feed their families. Without proper food/budget education, they co the only thing they can think of: fast food/tv dinners/ canned soups. And with people’s reliance on cars and technology well…this is a reality we have to just agree is a thing.
Im trying hard to get to these next points so…i’ll put one aside for now .(how the next depression will be worst than the last) because that’ll make up another one of these ridicuously long posts on its own.
SO I just want to say that there are people of all ages working really really hard to just get along with life. And while many of them are underprepared for what that entails, they are still trying. There’s also something to be said for the growing dependance on technology. People are traveling more to get into better situations (i know most of my towns kids just want to leave), more workplaces are requiring online applications, places to find posted work positions require emails, employers check applicants facebooks, social networks are online, charity places are online, business phone numbers and addresses are online. job opportunities are online. Technology is everywhere, so I would not blame anyone for feeling the need to have a form of it on their person at all times. Especially not with how the technology industry keeps pushing everything. And then the entitlement thing. I would say it is precisely because of where we are living. Americans through the ages have worked hard under the promise that this was a land of freedom and opportunity. And we have done well, and made more opportunities be a part of that promise. SO when someone demands that a promise be fullfilled, why are they being called entitled brats? The fact of the matter is, if it is promised, it is in fact something they are entitled to. And historically, all that struggle done the last couple centuries, was because that promise -that which American citizens were told they were entitled to- was not being upheld. OUR ANCESTORS FOUGHT SO THAT EVERYONE COULD BE ENTITLED TO A GOOD LIFE.
The problem is that we have the image of a big yard and white picket fence in our minds. That’s the American dream, something we were promised for many many generations would be obtainable, so long as you had the initiative. There are lots of people working hard to get even half as good as that, and failing. And that’s where the complaints are coming from. And an entire huge chunk of the population (ages 35 and under) are being looked down on for just wanting to live good for a while.
PS: sure the economy is looking up, but employers are a lot choosier nowdays and some are even sourcing from other cities, and not the town/city they are stationed in. I might be getting a job in welding in a welding heavy town, but I was denied a job for McDonalds at a time they were short on staff. I can only guess that it was because I hadn’t yet graduated college.
Alrighty. I found this video on my Facebook feed, and I honestly think he has a good message. I would love if the farms didn’t focus on feeding the world…it’s not exactly one farmer’s job, and the quality is low anyways. You have to know it is because you can see and taste the difference in free range chickens, free range chicken eggs, and the difference between feral pigs and traditional agriculturally raised and processed pigs. And now you know, he has more than one or two product to offer people. And variety is good for the soil, good for the animals, and a good business strategy. (I mean, if you have one crop and it gets infected with a disease and is decimated, you’re screwed.)
Anyways, it’s interesting to hear his story unfold and how it turned out better in the end. 🙂
This video shows some things that Cuban’s have made to keep a certain quality of life. Certainly, if there was no industry, it could be easy to lay down and let life degrade….but here there was a sort of stubborness, creativity, and ingenuity that fixed, renewed, and created what they needed. It’s something that makes me keenly aware of all the stuff that America throws out, and gives me some more respect for the tinkering my dad does. (Though it should be said that I find the things people can do with a little bit of metal and plastic)
Also, as I look across my laptop at a full bag of empty pop cans, I remember this plane I saw when I was younger…it was made of pop cans..and I remember wondering how it was made and captivated by the craftiness of it. What could you make from a pop can, or a few things laying around? Plastic bags can be made into fuel…a metal bucket and a little cement can be made into a place to melt metal. Drift wood could be made into a cool looking bench. A spare piece of rain gutter can be turned to a nifty little shelf for bathroom reading. Old clothes into new blankets. Coffee grounds and broken up charcoal makes some of the best dirt….
I once gathered turkey feathers, had them sent to a woman, and got back a dreamcatcher. And well, alright, a model plane made out of popcans isn’t an engine made out of a few spare magnets and salvaged copper wiring, but it captures my interest all the same. It is hard to explain the admiration and envy I have for those who can tinker with a few bits of stuff normal people would throw away…when most of my talent is in writing and cooking.
And then there’s bartering. It might seem off topic, but with everyone having spare stuff laying around, and homegrown skills in manipulating what they have, there must have been constant bartering with both materials and services. Even with just the skills that I have, I have often bartered with food. And this combination of fixing, making, and bartering are things I point to in order to illustrate what I mean when I tell people I have absolute faith in people’s ability to get by, to make a new market or niche for themselves in some other way. People find ways to get what they need…in this way I say, stubborness and creativity are the driving forces of humanity. It creates society, and it creates culture. Only through sheer stubborness and creativity do I think humans have come so far and survived an age of almost endless ice. Or, even in modern times, an entire city can be destroyed…but with a little work from everyone, can come back with new technology, food (maybe even new social roles and expectations)…all because of what happened, and in a way to make it less devastating should it happen again.
And so, we should not knock someone down for what they know or don’t know. Everyone has skills that in some situation can be made useful, even if it’s just being stronger than average. I am not mathematically nor am I socially smart…but I know and have faith in my ability to pick up new skills or knowledge, should I grab an interest in it or have need of it. So beyond cooking and writing, that is my main skill…This is touched on more in another post, where I talk about finding your core and elaborate on my own ideas of what makes me. And maybe we should all be asking ourselves those kind of questions. Asking friends and family. There are many pathways through life, not just the ones shown to us. I think we could gather the courage to carve our own pathways as long as we know about ourselves and do the proper research. (Like how I found out about Bio-chemistry)
As a side note: I feel like I should mention that because of America’s political climate, I wasn’t sure what to post…as no matter what my beliefs are, I don’t want to politically charge this blog. I don’t think it’d serve it’s purpose if it pushed away more people than it needs to. This blog’s first and foremost purpose is to inspire, empower, and educate anyone willing to listen. (There will always be haters, I’m not delusional about that.)
If you are reading this, I urge you to take a deep breath. Focus on your breath; focus on the moment.
Because all we actually have is this moment. Sure, there’s pain and accomplishment in the past. But as Rafiki would say, the past is in the past. There’s also aspiration in the future, we all have our own aspirations. And sure, we can hope and plan for the future, but there’s no guarantee the future will be as we want it- in fact, it rarely ever is.
That’s why we need to focus on this moment. And this one. You can hope for the future, but again, all we really have is now. That’s why,if you want something, you must act now.
But don’t get me wrong! If it’s something that requires patience, then the act of setting it aside and doing something else while waiting patiently is itself the right action.
The Garden of Inspiration 
