Respect, and the lost art of doing more than just existing in life!

Are you feeling the strain of how fast life seems to be moving? Are you stressed or feeling sorry for yourself? Do your days end with you wondering what you actually got accomplished? Do you have so many projects that you haven't been able to finish any of them? Are you comparing yourself to others?

So many of us can answer "YES" to every single one of these questions! Why? In my opinion, it's because we are ambushed with information. We are all connected, all the time. Whether it's through television, cell phones, or the internet; we get very little "down time." We stress over things we can not control, we stress over situations that we have no control, some issues we stress about are brought about by our selves, we refuse to turn off the noise boxes(television), we refuse to go without our cell phones, we don't turn off the computers, and we allow other peoples opinions to matter. We run around like chickens with our heads cut off to accomplish everything possible in a days time. We turn to fast meals so there's less time spent cooking, we turn to our computers to catch up with friends, we can't miss a single evening news cast because the world will end if we aren't being fed a bunch of crap about violence, or some politicians latest act of stupidity, and we worry about what neighbors, friends or family will think of us, our homes, our vehicles, etc. WHY????

This has become the norm for the majority of us. Life isn't enjoyed any more. Life has become all about just getting through. Having barely enough money, and living on loans/credit cards have become the way of life. Many people have more cars than they can drive or spend more on their vehicle than they make in a year. Many people run themselves so ragged just trying to keep up with what the neighbors are doing that they aren't happy but stressed. Too many times, people are shamed into doing what has "always been done," because if you do something different you are called/considered weird or extreme. And because everyone is connected ALL THE TIME, everyone knows every single thing you do...and they are more than happy to discuss you with everyone BUT you!

People have become quick to judge and slow to mind their own business. They have made it their mission, so to speak, to know your business and share it with whomever they can. Which brings me to a conversation my husband and I have recently had, about life, family, the fact that so many don't have financial sense, ignorance and just plain stupidity. We are amazed by how so many can be highly educated yet so ignorant to common sense. Not to mention how many families are not only greedy but have no idea how to treat others with respect. While we try to stay out of both our family issues, sometimes it's very difficult to keep quiet when different issues actually hurt one of us on a mental level. Both of us come from bigger families, both our parents have divorced and remarried, we both have siblings and we both have had issues within our individual families. While we try to stay neutral, there are times when our family members have or are being wronged. When that happens we do open our mouths, and usually get plenty of backlash from it. I guess it's ok to defend when it's benefiting certain ones and not ok when it goes against them.

Since we are who we are, we tend to pull away from people who do not respect who we are and what we do. We do not compete with anyone...ever! We do what we are capable of doing and the rest is let go. I am much more high strung than my husband in many cases, especially when family members are hurt, being mistreated or threatened. He lets things roll off his back much more than I do, and once I get mad....I am mad for a long time! I try to get all sides to a story before I say much but there are times that I really don't care about the story...I just want our family members treated they way they should be and with respect. While we have both had many years of family issues, now that we have a family of our own...we spend a lot of time sharing with each other the issues of the past. For me, it's nice to have someone that I trust to share every detail both good and bad. Especially since there are still plenty issues for both us.

We do things very different from most. We are more styled to our grandparents generation of how we live. We don't use credit cards, we actually spend very little, we re-purpose as much as possible, we try to live below our means, we are happy to garden, can/freeze, raise our own food, we hold family dear(even though it's not always reciprocated) and our family is the number 1 priority to us. We don't have a lot of debt, we plan to pay off our debt and live on a cash only basis over time, we cook 95% of our meals, we don't buy pre-packaged foods, we work hard, and we have at least one meal a day as a family.

It's very difficult for me, when I don't feel respected. It's even harder when there is no way to get that respect when so many others do not have it. However, we are raising our kids to be respectful and when others are not. So, maybe there will be a few in this crazy world that will respect others, things, and life.

So, as I begin a new month and a new chapter in my book, I am taking a step back. I am going to spend more time offline this month. I am going to spend more time focused on my little family, less time with the noise box on, less time on the computer and more time enjoying my life. Any issues that are brought to me; better be issues that will affect me or involve me. Otherwise, with due respect, I don't want to hear them. It's time for people to grow up, take responsibility, and take control of their life! I am taking control of mine!

~Sal~