"You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die."

I think it was my granny who used to say this ... "You have to eat a peck of dirt before you die."  I always thought it was metaphorical, but maybe it has a literal application as well.  However, it is a bit hard to swallow in today's hyper-clean, germ phobic, civilized world. But what if our phobias about dirt and germs have robbed our children of developing a basic love for the stuff of this planet of ours?

Simple Mom posted a blog today about letting our kids get dirty!  Jump on over and check it out, and enjoy a playful, dirty-filled day!

And just in case you were wondering ... just how much is a peck anyway?  It is the dry measure of 2 gallons.  That's a lot of dirt!

The Dreaded SHOULD List

I would like all of us to live as fully as we can. The only time I really feel awful is when people have not lived a life that expressed themselves. They lived with all their "shoulds" and "oughts" and their blaming and placating and all the rest of it, and I think, "How sad.

Virginia Satir (1916 - 1988)

 

I came across this quote this evening, and thought ... yes, how sad.  The reality of a life lived according to the SHOULD list is sad. I'm guilty, how about you?

What are the things that creep into your life that place a SHOULD across the path of doing all that you wish to do, and being all you wish to be?  Where do all these SHOULDs come from?

I look back at the mountain of SHOULD, and at the base of it, I see the first little pebbles ... people pleasing ... fear of rejection ... running from the need to stand alone and stand strong ... wanting to be "normal" ... the list is long.  Then, upon that foundation  grew the long list of things that I SHOULD do in order to maintain a fragile peace around me.  Strange the sacrifices I will make to my heart's peace in order to orchestrate the false peace around me.

Have you shouted "NO MORE"?  I have.  Yet, it is a journey to growing back into the uniqueness I was born with.

The highest thing on my SHOULD list ... 

 

I should be able to do it all, better! 

 

Go ahead, say it ... psycho!  But it does seem to be the mantra to which I bow.  What's your greatest SHOULD? 

Let's go out on a limb and vow, together, to put aside our SHOULDs, just for today.

 

 

 

More wisdom from Virginia Satir ...

"I am Me. In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it -- I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes. Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know -- but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me. However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me. I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay."

 

To that, I add ... Thank you, God, for making me just as I am!

Good Advice ... No Workaholics Here!

I ... am a workaholic.  There.  I've said it. 

No, I'm not a workaholic where my paid job is concerned.  I can draw boundaries there. But I'm an "at home" workaholic.  I can't ever sit still and relax without forcing myself to do it.  I ... am a human doing, not a human being!  Today, I came across a new article about 11 Creative Ways to Avoid Becoming a Workaholic.  The article addresses the workplace, but is SO applicable to my life.  Take a look, and tell me how you avoid overworking yourself during your "free" time.

A Wish List

Interesting fact about me … if you ask me what I would like to have, I can never think of anything. I’m rarely interested in stuff, and usually pretty content with what I have. Lately, however, I’ve realized that I do have a wish list. Problem is, the list contains things that are expensive. That’s why I never share the list when someone asks what I would like.

So here goes … my wish list. Maybe, after looking at it, you will add some of these wonderful products to your wish list. Maybe, after looking at it, you will wish you had never come across my blog because now you have a pricey wish list. Maybe …



1. Vita Mix

About a year ago, when reading one of my favorite blogs April's Raw Food Passion, I came across the Vita-Mixer. It seems that the best way to move away from processed food and into the world of raw food is to have a way to crush it, mix it, turn it into butter, or blend it into a delicious smoothy.

Doesn’t this picture just make you feel more healthy?  Vitamix


2. “Barefoot” shoes

Barefoot + Shoes = Feet as they were intended in a world full of man-made dangers. About 6 months ago, I saw these shoes via REI. Years of researching Yoga has shown me one thing for sure, your feet work at their best when your toes are not shoved into a small, sometimes pointy (if you’re a woman) prison. Set them free!

“To the man who clads his feet in shoe leather, the whole world feels like leather.” Taoist Proverb

For some interesting reading about a barefoot life … visit the economads

Until we live in a place where bare feet are permissible everywhere (like New Zealand!), the five fingers are the next best thing. Spread those toes!  Love those Five Finger Shoes.

Slate/Palm upper, if you please.


3. Goodbye to the Nasties

In our family, we have two water filters, both Brita. One is a large, counter-top container with a tap for our smaller family member, and one is attached to the kitchen faucet. Although the Brita does clean many of the impurities, I often wonder how well it really does. And what about the times when the water is really dirty (like stream water). We wouldn’t want to filter that through the Brita. And when you think about a weekend in the popup, or in a tent, the hand pump water purifier that David has seems like a lot of work for a little return.

This Big Berkey filter is gravity based, therefore not requiring electricity. It is portable … not exactly the type you would put in a backpack, but it would work for a longer family-camping outing. And it cleans out all the gunk! They have a filtering shower attachment as well. If I don’t want my family drinking it, I also don’t want them absorbing it through their skin.

Thanks to Sara for the introduction (Check it out on their counter in their rv home).


4. The Portable Read

I tend to be a bit of a book hound. I love to read, and often have 3 or 4 books going at the same time. Add an obsession with researching anything and everything on the internet, and I guess I’d have to admit that I love to learn. (That’s a bit of a shock for my parents, I bet!) The thing is, I can’t possibly carry all the books I’m reading at one time with me everywhere I go. Especially all the reference books, like a dictionary, concordance, and Bible Greek dictionary. There are all those lost moments when there is no one around to talk to, and I find myself waiting. All you taxi mom’s know exactly what I’m talking about. But I’m not always in the mood to read the book I thought to bring. Bummer. Solution ... The Kindle

Of course, I would want it loaded with all my favorites! Not asking for too much, is it?


5. Time for a Photo Shoot

This baby is not one I’ve researched enough to tell you exactly what I want. Suggestions? I’m tired of the point-and-click that delivers great pictures sometimes, and lousy ones at other times. Yes, I’ve learned to use the features. It just doesn’t like alternative lighting, fast movement, or close-ups … red-eye is always a problem.

Add to a great camera the latest and greatest Photo editor … voila! Camera happy me!


Wow … I don’t ask for much, do I? As I was making this list, I was thinking about photo storage, old home video storage, document organization, etc. The process of simplification means looking for better, more efficient ways to do old things. Leave any suggestions as a comment below. Your thoughts are appreciated.

And tell me ... what's on your wish list?

Meanwhile, I’m content, I’m dreaming, and I’m seeing the world again after a long time in the haze.