Making lists seems to be a popular thing nowadays. I'm not talking about old age list making of things not to forget to do or buy. Of course I do that! Heck, I'm old, right? But in the news and on blogs/forums, I see things like....10 things you need to know today.....20 best places to vacation....15 foods you never should eat...5 mistakes not to make. Everything is a list. Sheesh.
So I figured, what the heck. I can make lists too for the blog. Why not? Well I surely can think of one good reason ---- my friends will slap me silly! But I'll do some lists real quick, then duck & run. Maybe I'll be able to get away with it this time. ;)
...it is truly better to give than receive. It soothes the soul, grows my connections to my community, and I reap plenty of benefits back in the future.
...assume that the people around me are mostly idiots and I'm less stressed and less likely to be unpleasantly surprised. But of course it's scary to see them driving vehicles!
...KISS
...contrary to what I was taught, being a "grown up" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Let the child out to play before it's too late.
...if it won't be important 10 years from now, then don't let it upset me. 20 years from now I won't even remember whatever it was. 30 years from now I won't remember any of this. :)
...start small and slow. Expand as I have some successes.
...lower one's expectations . Life will become easier.
...avoid the rat race. Visit it occasionally just to remind ourselves why we choose to live rural and remote.
...definitely don't go into debt that I cannot repay quickly. Every bit of interest and fees paid is money lost. Once one has debts, then one becomes a slave to earning money in order to repay that debt. Or else you risk losing everything.
...never stop learning and experimenting, trying new things.
...I don't need TV. In fact, my time is better spent with my homestead, the community, or with friends.
There's lots of things I've learned late in life, but they're not sitting on the tip of my tongue right now. I don't regret having spent much of my life in the Eastcoast rat race, worrying about my image, striving to be successful, having to getting ahead, acquiring all the "correct" material possessions. Why? Because all that craziness has made me really, really, really appreciate & enjoy the life that I have now.
What's really neat is that I'm still learning! I'm still discovering a better way for us to live at this point in our lives. "Real' food/nutrition. Yoga. Massage. Tai chi. Meditation. Daily exercise. Stress elimination. They're all parts of the next chapter in our lives. Funny thing though, these things were poo-poo'd in my previous life. I never participated in any of that stuff nor placed any value on them. Now they are integral in our wellbeing.
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