Leigh had a great post here that got me thinking 5acresandadream.com Take a read! My response was this-
I think this is where you need to not be a "sheeple" and think outside the box. We have planted 3 fruit trees and I have a great harvest coming on this year. I'll be canning and freezing veggies too. We have 3 hens for eggs. While we live on a city lot we do what we can. We barter, trade, get creative. Most of my nice clothes for work are thrifted. I buy chocolate with the difference :) I also have 2 five gallon buckets of freeze dried fruits and veggies stashed, as well as a pantry. We have salvaged wood set aside for misc. building projects we scavenged from family, headed for the trash! All kinds of free things are out there as well. We were just offered a free family portrait from my hubby's friend after he fixed a home problem for him. It pays to think ahead and be observant. What kind of opportunities can you notice???
That post got me thinking more... This may not be popular, but I've never been a fan of whiners or victims. I've have survived and moved past some really awful things. Much of it was basically thru self improvement, insight and forgiveness. My childhood was something I survived and moved past. Basically it was very dysfunctional, with addiction issues, and my only sibling passed away when I was 13. I started studying philosophy probably looking for some kind of compass when I was 14. That helped me tremendously. I studied all the world religions and more. I reached a point where I chose to not be a victim of my childhood anymore. That took years. And years. There reaches a point where I think YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE TO CREATE YOUR LIFE. Whatever that is. And get on with it. It may not be easy, but the rewards are there. 20 years ago I didn't know how to- roof a house, sell a house, buy a house, build things, set up a rain barrel, clean chimneys, grow food I could store, can, dehydrate, make jams, start a pantry, make salves, grow medicinal herbs, keep chickens, blog, be a librarian, be a grandparent, I could go on. It's a process and you have to start somewhere. People who survived the Depression did so not because they didn't have anything better to do, but because they HAD to. They CHOSE to. Many threw themselves off buildings, the rest got creative and rolled up their sleeves. If you had no income tomorrow what would you do? If you lost your car/s, your house? What can you learn, how could you get creative??? So back to the title of this post....... what can you do???
Agree! I have no patience for whiners. One must accept the hand they are dealt to make a life.
ReplyDeleteYes...
ReplyDeleteA very good post linked to Leigh's. No one can control your destiny but you, yourself. We can all do SO MUCH more than we currently do to be self-sufficient. It's time we gained back our own sense of responsibility and learned how to take care of ourselves. The time is fast approaching when no one else is going to do it for you.
ReplyDeleteYou've always been a wonderful example because you do so much in/on a city lot. Not having acres of land is simply no excuse. Nor is not having the skill to do almost any task. That's a cop-out, for sure.
Thanks Mama bows deeply :) yes you can always do something...
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said. And like many people, there was a time in my life that everyone and everything was to blame except for me. Of course, I couldn't control childhood and the job market, but those seemed to be crutches in my early 20's to feel trodded on. I've learned that life is all about my own choices, small or large and that I can't change anyone but me. If I lost it all tomorrow, I wouldn't jump off a skyscraper, I'd find my way, slowly but surely and survive and prosper.
ReplyDeleteGood for you Rain :)
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog. I love that chicken coop! We are going to start keeping chickens hopefully next year.
ReplyDeleteI so agree with the mentality that at some point you have to stop self-victimizing and agree that certain situations may have been less than ideal, but there is always a way to pull yourself up and learn, grown and become better than you were yesterday. It doesn't minimize what happened. It helps you to rise above.
I applaud you for sharing your heart! Oh, and my wardrobe is almost entirely thrifted... except for undergarments. Gotta draw the line somewhere! haha!
Following so I can keep in touch!
~ Emily from So Sunny Day
Thanks! Yes I draw the line with those too. Usually no used shoes unless very gently used from ebay, etc.
ReplyDeleteLove your post. We can't control other people, but we can control what we do. People are endlessly capable and creative. Sometimes it takes multiple attempts when it doesn't work the first time and that's just fine. Read, explore, ask questions, shadow someone who knows how to do what you want to do - I'm surprised by the things I can do today that I couldn't have dreamed twenty years ago. Save up and spend wisely. It doesn't have to be new to be good.
ReplyDeleteThanks Debbie! Yes, my current work outfit today is thrifted slacks, and a LL Bean used shirt from eBay! :)
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