A View from Mel

I have recently begun reading the book Simple Abundance. I had been on a journey to simplify how I think of things for awhile. Learning to be content with what I have and such.

One thing I have begun to notice is how much push there is for fast stuff. Faster cooking (where is the joy in that?) faster cars (why, the speed limit is already at 1/4 what cars do now!) faster pain relief, which I understand the desire for, but isn’t pain there to tell us something?

There are faster ways to be beautiful, lose weight, just about everything that is done, has a new improved faster way to do it. What are we hurrying for? Hurry just takes the joy out of doing things. Trimming rose bushes should be a time for reflection on the joy the roses gave and anticipation of the next blooms. While doing the dishes for the umpteenth time, reflect on the joy of filling your children with good food for healthy growth. Give thanks for having the food to put on the table as well. When cooking, remember how much more difficult that soup or stew was for great grandmother to fix.

Washing clothes is much easier now, and that has given us the means to have so many more clothes! Do you have closets crammed so full you can’t get into them? How many of those outfits do you regularly wear? We have begun to simplify here, I began with myself, I weeded out all my clothes. I decided as a woman I ought to dress like one so first to go were my jeans, which never fit my odd shape well anyhow. Then most of my sweats went. All I was left with were the dresses, skirts and jumpers, but which ones did I really wear? A set pattern began to emerge. I have 1 dress for really fancy occasions, 7 for everyday and 3 for “going to town”. I know this won’t work for everyone, but for me, it happened to be a good thing, the closet we have now is 1/4 the size of the one we had in the old house! I did keep some warmer blouses for my jumpers for colder weather, but I reduced my decision making time, and my closet space a lot!

One of the great joys for me is seeing how much I can do with out and not hurt the quality of my life any. I have discovered many ways I can disengage from the hurry, hurry world too. I used to love frozen pizzas. We got 4 every week; everyone here likes something different! Then I began to read, and learned to make pizza dough, I already made fresh bread and ya know what? All pizza dough is, is bread!

I discovered that it’s not too hot at 89 to go out in the yard and visit with my plants. Right now they need extra attention after moving!

I have begun a daily journal in which I “count my blessings” as the old hymn goes. I list at least 5 things each day I am thankful for. Some days it is easier than others. However like Pollyanna (a good read even for adults!) concentrating on the ‘Glad” things is much easier as time goes by. Now when negative thoughts enter my mind, I automatically begin searching for the good that can and will come from it.

Whether or not a person attributes the good in their life to a loving, caring God (I do), an attitude of gratitude to this time in this world is like a cool sip of clear water. So many go through life grousing about what is wrong with the world, and yes there are horrible things happening, just as there have been since the dawn of time, but what if some of the grousers suddenly began to see the good side of things? Nothing has changed, well the weapons are bigger, and faster, but the crimes and wars are just as brutal as always. Yet even in the midst of war, there is hope.

In the current war, we have faith that we can defeat this horrendous enemy, the people we have helped and are helping have hope of freedom for the first time in centuries, what about charity?

Charity is love, a giving of self for the betterment of another. Yes that is being seen daily. Think of the small Iraqi child who was flown to the US for life saving surgery, after her father, with faith, had hope that the Marines at the prison (the name of which I can not spell) would give the gift of charity to his young daughter. I have not been able to locate an update on this little one, but I hope in some small way she remembers that those who worshiped a different God, fought for her right to worship hers.

These small miracles are being lost in the hurry and rush of finding the “big” story, which usually means the worst news possible that can be reported now days. If more folks would tune out just a small bit of the bad, perhaps in seeing more good they themselves would do more good, and the cycle could spread. I do see the bad things, I just look for good where the bad is, and usually, there it is, just a tiny sprout, like the zucchini vine that began and is now taking over many gardens. If folks would stand up and say enough! I do not wish to just hear the doom and gloom of it, but the whole of it, perhaps the news media would be forced to change tactics. It all begins with one seed, one spark. We have seen here in TX, in the last few days in San Angelo and around us, how one tiny spark can set a whole field a flame.

Just imagine, this all began with me finding joy in a rose bush!

And that is my (happier) view!

Ya’ll have a great week!