If Someone Had Told Me

Twenty years ago, if someone had told me I'd be living this lifestyle, it would have taken my best "poker face" to not laugh in theirs.  I always loved critters, but my memory of country living was not associated in any way shape or form with freedom or simplicity.  As a kid, I lived in the country and I saw it as very isolated and confining.  My mother had her issues, and she was a stay at home micro-manager.  That's a topic for a completely different blog and website . . . Back to homesteading at this late date.

As I was scrubbing the tub the other day, the memory of my grandchildren visiting for the summer came to mind.  They're all big teen-agers now, so I'm boring . . . but they used to love to come do everything on the farm.  At night they'd come in exhausted, ready for a bath, supper, and bed.  I never had to tell them to go to bed, I just wore 'em out!  The only time we weren't busy was when we were sleeping.  Ah, good times!

So, as I'm scrubbing the tub two more thoughts occur to me.  I still get as dirty as a kid, but it's good clean garden dirt.  I know I've said it before, but there is just nothing like standing in the soil barefooted.  And there is nothing like scrubbing that good clean dirt off the bathtub or shower floor.  I'd say I only take a bath once a month, and that is accurate, but that's because I prefer showers.      

I'd have never imagined I'd be doing what I'm doing at 56 years old, and enjoying it so much.  So many days, I thank G-d and then stop for a moment to let it sink in, once again, that this really is my life. Although I did do some summer lifeguarding and teach a few aquatics classes until the turn of the century, I haven't had a "real job," as my mom would say, since 1996.  Funny how I've gone from enjoying the chemical smells of the public pool to the fresh fragrance of garden veggies and the earthy scent of the milking parlor.

I realize I'm blessed to have this opportunity and it I know it is completely undeserved.  Before following Messiah, I didn't think life would ever make sense or be comfortable, but I always hoped it would.  Now, here I am sharing on the world wide web how great it is to get dirty and document great memories and thoughts as I scrub the bathtub!