Random Thoughts

Another day of reflection and honestly a little irritation too.  I know that everyone is different, and everyone is special in their own unique way...but at what point do you go from being unique/different, to just being weird?!  In our home, we laugh at the concept that we are "weird."  By today's standards, yep we are different.  We began minimalizing our lives years ago!  Long before it became the "thing," to do.  Ours began when we decided I should be a full-time Mom.  From there it began a steady and relatively steady march to where we are now.  I personally have to laugh when someone refers to us a weird, odd, or even so far as to refer to us as hippies.  For anyone that knows me, the life I have today is a far cry from anything I grew up around, or even was around until Richard and I were married. 

My thoughts are very random today, so please forgive me if I bounce around!  This blog helps me put some perspective on my thoughts, and occasionally helps me understand events a little better.

I have a brief rant.  I am seriously so sick of politics I could spit nails!  I have family & friends that are very much the labeled politicians.  They lean very far left & very far right.  I personally think of myself as more of an independent.  I can see and applaud thoughts from both sides.  However, watching all the election bull going on....I am quite angry.  In my opinion, of the 5 Presidential candidates running this year, there is only 1 that actually has the knowledge, the intelligence, and the experience to be running.  99% of all the election and campaign promises are crap, and everyone knows this.  However, because the news tells you what they want you to hear...not the whole story or the truth, that is who people vote for.  The crisis that we are currently in, in the USA, is not because of just 1 president...it has been building for YEARS!  It's not all Obama's fault, it's not all Bush's fault.  It has been building for YEARS!  I am personally tired of hearing the blame game, and I want answers.  We have to live within our means, we can't go be bailed out because of stupidity on our part, we don't expect nor want government help, we just want to live our lives, our way, without interference.  I don't believe that's asking too much.  It's called self-responsibility.  It's something that was set up in our Constitution as part of the law of the land.  I don't believe that a persons religion should ever play a role in government, let alone be forced down anyone's throat.  I don't think that lobbying should be legal, I don't think that anyone running for a political office should be allowed to use ANY tax payer money.  Our politicians already make 5 times or more that of the average working American.  Our founding fathers intended for our elected officials to be elected in, serve their term, and go back to work.  Not to remain political figures indefinitely, and continue getting paid indefinitely.  I believe the entire system has been manipulated by those in power for years.  The part I really get angry about, is the fact that, no matter what political party you favor, NO ONE will listen to anything else.  Everyone has to bicker like school children and behave even worse.  We have too many chiefs and not enough indians! 

Another issue for thought, for me this morning, is feelings/emotions.  I have become a very cold person, I know.  When I look at life, and even family and friends...I really don't understand some of the thought process that goes on.  As Richard and I have spent a lot of time talking about this very subject, I'm learning that the older I get the less of the feelings/emotions I understand...or care to understand.  We have never dealt with jealousy in our home.  Nor have I ever believed that I couldn't live without anyone but my kids.  As I watch family and friends dealing with this, and Richard comes home to tell me about this subject effecting someone he knows....I just shake my head.  I am going to be very blunt for a bit.  Have people really become that dependent, that spineless, and that needy?  I guess I was brought up differently.  I was taught that you don't need people in your life, you have to want them there.  You dependent on yourself, period, and you stand up for what you believe in.  Although I consider myself very low maintenance, I listen to others and cringe.  I do not require name brand anything, I do not want the best of anything, I do not expect anything of anyone.  I am FAR from perfect, but I value my little family.  I value what little we have, and WE work hard to be the best that we can be.  We will never be better than anyone else, but we all strive to be better people than we were yesterday.  We have our share of issues, we have our share of arguements/disagreements.  We also have our share of compromises and "plan b's."  Each of us stands up for what we believe, yes, even the kids.  That is how we have taught them.  We teach our kids to have a voice and a mind of their own.  They do not have to follow anyone elses path....they can create their own.  We let them try different interests, and not push to live our lives through them.  They are each individual little people, that will be our next generation of independent thinkers.  As Richard and I talked this past weekend, we agreed that neither of us "needs" the other....but we do "want" the other in our lives.  We do not tell each other what to do, how to think, who we can/can not talk to, or anything of that nature.  We do not expect or demand that the other be attached to our hip, nor do we want to be that needy.  Over the years, we have found that there are a few things that do enjoy doing together, and we enjoy that time time together.  However, there are things that we each enjoy individually...that we do without the other. 

Since Richard and I do spend a lot more time talking, than we ever have, I have been given a unique perspective.  Many of our thoughts are different.  So, by having the conversations we have, I am given his insight while he is given mine.  Many times they are different to start with, but in the end, we understand each other and even if we end up not being in agreement, we can come up with a workable compromise.  The conversation we have are priceless.  Sometimes they are funny, sometimes serious, sometimes we both just shake our heads.  Many times lately, our conversations have geared toward our extended family relationships.  Since both of us have been pretty independent our whole lives, we are really outside the close knit bonds of both families.  We choose to stay that way.  Many times, we disagree with parts of our family, but we choose to basically "bless and release them."  We get angry, we have our conversations, and we let it go.  We live our lives, our way...and although we know not everyone agrees with us, we do want our lives respected.  For the most part, they are. 

The past 6 months have been kind of crazy for us.  With one house deal falling through, and another one that moved us to part of his family's farm....we've made even more changes to benefit our family.  Although Richard grew up with a farm family, worked with exotic animals, horses, cows, etc....I did not.  I am having to readjust some of my own thoughts again.  Although some don't believe that what we have is considered farming, I do.  We have 25 acres, that we own, to manage/take care of/keep up with.  We also have 70 rented acres to manage with soon to be 30 head of cows to keep up with.  Not to mention our horses, cow, chickens, dogs, cats...and of course the kiddos.  We don't row crop yet, but my standards, we are farming.  Do we know everything, not hardly!  Richard knows a lot, and what he doesn't know....he's learning.  What little I know about farming, I am using to teach the kids, and make our house a home.  I love learning everything I can learn so I can be more useful around our farm.  I am using what I know about a simple natural life, and instituting it into our lives.  We do not use chemicals of any kind on our garden, for fertilizer, or feed.  Everything we do use, is a natural source and is a sustainable source.  We are planning our gardens (yes that is plural) and planting trees, and  putting in an orchard.  Our goal is to be a self-sufficient farm family.  I'm told this is impossible, but for me that is the driving force to do just that.  Tell me I can't do something, and I will do it...just to prove you wrong. 

I think this is enough for now.  Maybe now, I can go about my day without jumbled thoughts.
:-) Salli