Day #2 THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH

Day #2     THANKS FOR NOTHING Month                               Sunny/Frigid

“Just for today I will touch the arm of every person I speak to face-to-face.  This one act has the power to create a connection between us.”
Mornings during THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH are a challenge during these beginning days of the month.  Each year we forget how much thought goes into the process of having hot water.  And hot water is the first thing needed in the morning, and nearly the last thing required in the evening.

The wood stove in the living room is the only active source of heat for our home, an “Earthship” designed by the architect Michael Reynolds.  The home is constructed with rammed-earth tires, cans, bottles and lots of other re-purposed items.  Because the basic premise of the home is to use the concept of thermal mass for heating and cooling, the house naturally never falls below 55 degrees F, even with no heat source.

The only sources of hot water include a large old-fashioned enamel water kettle, and a small modern metal tea pot which are heated on of the top of the wood stove.  This hot water is used for washing dishes, filling up the solar shower bag that’s used for an evening shower, and, most importantly, for hot tea and coffee.  It takes a bit of planning to not run out of hot water, and that’s where our month of no electricity and money gets off to a rocky start.

For example:  Unless someone gets up in the night to put wood into the stove, in the morning the water in the tea kettles is only lukewarm.  The room is still plenty warm, and the stove is still hot, but the tea kettles loose their heat rather quickly.  Since Jay loves his morning cup of coffee, and I crave a proper cup of morning tea, this causes us to huddle around the stove, waiting for the smaller tea kettle to begin to “sing” that it’s finally hot enough.

After the first night, I’ve decided that if I wake up, no matter how much I hate to get up, I’m going to refill the wood stove.  Last night I did wake, and I tried telling myself that it didn’t matter, we could wait for our tea.  But then I remembered that there would be people joining us for a consulting visit and we would not have the luxury of hanging out until we’re good and ready to begin the day.

With my head lamp shining brightly, I wandered down the hallway like a coal miner and filled up the stove.  Unlike a coal miner, I had the added hazard of avoiding stepping on any of the cats that sleep wherever they find a bit of warmth.  Then back to bed, to dream of warmer days.

Last year I tried hoarding hot water by filling up insulated water carafes.  It didn’t really work.  Lukewarm water just doesn’t make a great cup of coffee or tea.

I’d love to hear an idea or two about how I might keep the water hot enough over night to have a nice hot cup of tea, and not have to wait around for 30 minutes to get the day in high gear.  I’m considering putting some clay bricks on top of the stove (slight thermal mass) and putting the tea kettle on top.  My hope is that the bricks will hold more heat then the top of the stove.

The saga of how to keep the water hot over night continues.  I hope to hear from folks about possible solutions.

Menu
Breakfast:
Fresh fruit with yogurt

Lunch:
Left over butternut squash/potato soup
Rye bread with butter
Fresh hot pepper raw milk goat cheese

Blue Rock Station Diaries February 28, 2012

Blue Rock Station Diary                                                                February 28, 2012

24 F outdoors              66 F indoors

TODAY’S HAPPINESS FACTOR:  8 OUT OF 10

In the night, as I listened to the noises of the house, I was thinking about how much everything in life is about to change.  And those changes are going to be at every single level in our lives.

 First day of school 2010:  Jay, Miss America, Annie

The most fundamental change will be that we aren’t parents of a child anymore.  Our Miss America is going off into the world this year.  On most days I am fine with the concept of her growing up, but on some days I wonder how my role as nobody’s mother will play out in my own grown-up life.

New chicks, new baby goats, and more adventures with the critters that live here with us.  Spring is such a rich time for new life.  There will be goats and roosters that get sent away, and new ones with new names that will add richness to the barnyard.  This is the time of year that makes me the most anxious, and the most deliriously content.

Next will be the changes as the season’s rotate.  The spring will bring a new roof, solar generated electricity, and new interns.  No more leaks in the roof – I can predict that for the future – whoopee!  No more electric grid unless we want to partake.  The new faces we’ll see will bring young energy and passion for the life we lead.  While I can’t know what experiences we’ll share, I know that I am quite hopeful that the summer will be a good one.

 

We’ll make new friends, and make time for the old ones.  Lots of new visitors will arrive for workshops and tours.  Out of those groups there will be one or two that we will connect with, and find opportunities to share time.  Jay’s birthday and Miss America’s high school graduation (she will have completed her freshman year of college and doesn’t plan on attending the graduation ceremony) will be big events with a grand weekend planned of celebrating life and our journey together with old and dear friends.  I’m thinking about a trip to Blannerhassett Island on the ferry, a grand Victorian picnic, and lots of story telling.

A new house – as the year grows older we’ll be talking a lot more (and dreaming) of the new place we hope to build – a “nest” for ourselves so that the Earthship can become more of an office and guest house.  The idea has been growing for a while, along with the new pond, which has now become a plan to fix the old one.  I’m dreaming of a building the size of our current living room and kitchen with a deck that looks out over the tiny pond, and the forest below it.  This will be a place to sleep, to read, to sip tea, and to contemplate.

There are more books to be written before the year is over.  We’re under contract to re-vamp the green technology book, and WHEN THE BIOMASS HITS THE WIND TURBINE will be out in print soon.  Before December we’ll have the GIVING THANKS FOR NOTHING book written and hot off of the press in time for another January of using no resources.  We hope that lots of folks will sign up to join us in some form or fashion.

Then there is the new routine we’ll begin to establish to visit Miss America wherever she plants herself.  Our four-day getaway in August is still hanging in the balance until we know more about her summer location. 

A new president – given the choices, I hope there isn’t a different president.  This one just needs to be able to point more powerful folks in a better direction with a new plan, and a new message.

 The new raised beds just waiting for the April workshop.

As spring unfolds it is clear that the Happiness Factor is high at Blue Rock Station, and the workload is heavy.  I don’t plan to get ahead of myself though by pushing this day away.  It’s just good to look into the future and see that there is hope and opportunity.

Memories of summers past February 15, 2012

Are we what we eat? February 6, 2012

February 6, 2012                      22 F outdoors           61 F indoors

TODAY’S HAPPINESS FACTOR:  8 out of 10

Saturday was our first day to be together after the THANKS FOR NOTHING month so we talked about having an excursion of sorts – going to McConnelsville OH to the Blue Bell Restaurant for breakfast.  Jay tried selling me on the idea by pointing out that they had oatmeal, plus I wanted to do some shopping at the hardware store downtown.

Jay and Cat at the Blue Bell, across from the Opera House (built in 1892)

McConnelsville (www.visitmorgancountyohio.com/) is situated in what they’re now calling “The Front Porch of the Great Outdoors”.  It is a marvelous place to visit – still a working town with shops, an opera house (showing films on weekends and live music the third Saturday of the month), and four terrific museums, plus a downtown hardware that seems to carry everything.  Jo-Ad’s Market is a first rate market with bulk foods, homemade goodies, a cafe for lunch, and a place to sit to watch the traffic.

The Blue Bell has been around since the 1950’s – maybe even before that.  The walls are covered in rock ‘n roll memorabilia.  There’s a daily special, ice cream, and country fried steak on the menu.  If you eat there, you’ll absorb enough grease, just from the ambiance, to last you a lifetime.  Jay and Cat love the place.

As Jay and Cat placed their orders of well-done steak with eggs (for Cat) and country fried steak with eggs (Jay) and everything smothered in gravy I honestly felt I might gag.  I kept conjuring up how that would taste and it didn’t seem likely that I’d enjoy even one bite of it.  I ordered oatmeal with raisins and peanuts (from the ice cream sundae bar).  I would have much rather just watched them eat – well maybe not.

Jay’ breakfast

  Cat’s breakfast

 

When the food arrived they were salivating at the thought of how it would taste.  I was just the opposite – trying not to look too closely at the plates.  When I took a photo of their food and said I was going to write about the restaurant, Cat insisted I take a picture of my food too.

After a “leisurely” meal we walked down the street to the hardware store to buy some hooks and a strap for the goat field gate.  Jay traveled on to the bank.  When we finished our shopping Cat and I started walking across the street to Jo-Ad’s when we saw Jay coming towards us.  He thought we were meeting him at the bank so he started walking up and down the street looking for us – life in a small town.

At Jo-Ad’s we ran into people we knew who had seen Jay walking up and down the street so they waited to speak to us.  We also had a nice conversation about the Chesterhill Produce Auction with Rubin Yoder, the owner of Jo-Ad’s.  We’re in Mennonite country in this part of Morgan County so there are lots of Yoders and Millers. 

As we drove around the Civil War soldier at the roundabout we were sure to notice what film was playing at the Opera House.  Cat had been given two free tickets to the movie TIN TIN when we were checking out at the hardware store.  Life on the farm – it’s grand.

 

THANKS FOR NOTHING DIAIRIES – after thoughts

THANKS FOR NOTHING AFTERTHOUGHTS            February 1, 2012   7:30 AM

48 F outdoors              66 F indoors

TODAY’S HAPPINESS FACTOR:  7 our of 10

 

  Jay’s off to a meeting and making history by taking his own coffee and a lunch he packed with his own hands.

As I walked up to the barn to do chores this morning, Jay asked me to drive Miss America into town for her classes today – he has a conference call when he would be making the return trip home. 

Before THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH I would have said, “OK” but today I don’t feel well.  I thought about it for a minute and said that I didn’t want to drive anywhere.  Jay misunderstood – “You know you can drive now.”  Of course I knew, but I am perfectly happy staying home taking care of myself.

This morning I woke up trying to think about how today would be different from the last 31.  I need to clean the living room and kitchen up a bit because a photojournalist student is coming over at 4 PM to begin a photography shoot.  There’s a conference call at 5:30 PM to organize a huge project that’s been agreed to already.  And there’s laundry to hang out, and the livestock chores. 

I did turn the light on to look at something – that was before the sun came up.  The hot water was still sitting on the woodstove so I used that for my tea.  Jay made me a nourishing breakfast to try to help me feel stronger, and gave me a neck rub for good measure.  So far, not much is different.

When Jay left for town he asked if I needed anything.  I do need chicken scratch.  The herbs I’m using to treat my bladder infection were already on hand so I’m good to go with all of that.  As I thought about it, I found it remarkable that after 31 days of living without spending money, and without using other resources like electricity, we still don’t need to buy anything but food for the livestock.

Jay checked the electric meter this morning.  He thinks we used about one half of the electricity we normally do.  That energy was used keeping things refrigerated, and for the computers during the daytime use for Blue Rock Station business. Oh, and lighting Miss America’s room at night.

We’re on to the next thing already…getting the new WHEN THE BIOMASS HITS THE WINDTURBINE book in order.  Jay’s spent the past three and half months writing it, and now I will be spending quite a bit of my time editing.  We’ve found a publisher in Akron, and Jay is pleased with them – he visited them recently when he had a meeting with OSU Wooster. 

Jay writing while we have visitors – banished to the sun porch

What’s really fun is that Jay is quite excited about the whole process.  He pointed out to me this morning that this is what he went to college to learn to do, and he’s finally going to do it.  I’ll be excited about it tomorrow when I am bound to feel better.

Besides taking care of myself today I’ve been thinking about Miss America graduating from high school this spring  She is not going to her high school this year – she’s enrolled in college and will be a college sophomore when she graduates high school. 

Miss America thinks about things differently, even though, in many ways she could be considered conventional.  For example, she’s decided that she is not going to graduation.  That decision took a minute to get used to, but I did.  My compromise was that we need to have a party to celebrate.

Her godmother has already said she’d be here, and I’ll hear this weekend if her guardian angels can attend as well.  We’ll plan everything for Jay’s birthday weekend so it’s a double celebration – one day for Jay’s birthday and one day for Miss America’s graduation.  It will all be grand fun.

Life moves on – amazing as it seems.  I am eager to see what the rest of this year brings.  Maybe it is the warm weather and the sunshine spurring me on, but I can’t help but think that when we look back on this time in our lives, we’ll say it was right up there with the best of the days.

 

THANKS FOR NOTH…

THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH                      January 31, 2012            7:00 AM

69 F indoors                 44 F outdoors

My vacation from the world – that’s what this month has been for me. 

 

The days of the THANKS FOR NOTHING month have been filled with writing, doing chores, milking goats, mucking out stalls, receiving visitors, and savoring the moments.  Frankly, I don’t know where the time goes.

Since I’ve based my writings on my definition of the HAPPINESS FACTOR, and written daily about some part of it I thought I’d write my last blog for this month with a little summary that is told more in photos then in words.

 

Meaningful work 

 

High expectations    University of Dayton ETHOS engineering students working on the Earthship eyebrow

 

Education  New recipe:  Sweet Potato fries – YUCK!  They turned out to taste horrible!  We’ll do better next try.

 

Friends   Four of interns enjoying their time together – Anne-Lise, Beth, Marie and Sarah

 

Community  Annie leading the OEFFA Women in Ag summer tour

 

Health   Covered in critters while reading an interesting book

 

Family  Annie, Jay and Miss America at the McConneslville Opera House for our 25th anniversary celebration

 

Personal freedom/personal values   

   Loving other people’s children, making time for others, investing in the future

 

Sense of security

   The dream of the land, the lifestyle, and the freedom of Blue Rock Station

I’ve shared my thoughts, and my stories with anyone who cared to read about them.  And, at the end of the day there was no live news, except for Jay’s and other visitors’ summaries; No real trauma, except the young rooster dying suddenly; And one big change – Miss America announcing that she is taking off a year and not going to the university next year.  This has been a month of some normal worries but mostly no worries at all – the stuff that dreams are made of and I’ve loved every minute of it.

One thing I am sure about though is that I’ve been re-written in so many ways through the experience this month has given me.  And, I have not suffered, or felt deprived of anything but a hot cup of water for a proper cup of tea when I wanted it. 

As time goes by I think I will see just how significantly this family has been influenced by the month we lived without spending money, or other resources.  I could make some predictions but I won’t.  Today I am going to weed strawberry and onion raised beds, and clean out the barn so I can help unload 100 bales of hay.  Tomorrow is February 1^st, and it will be the beginning of the next big adventure in our lives.   I’m ready.

 

 

THANKS FOR NOTH…

THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH                      January 30, 2012                      5:20 AM

62 F indoors                 21 F outdoors

TODAY’S HAPPINESS FACTOR:  8 out of 10

 Diane Luers is the one holding the stuffed toy.  Annie and Miss America (the blond beautiful one) are at the other end of the row.

This month of living without money has given me a stronger picture of my overall state, particularly as I’ve begun to measure life, not in terms of money, but by the Happiness Factor. 

I’m not sure exactly why I’ve felt so content. I think I need to figure out more of the reasons.  What matters is that I have allowed myself the time to erase money from how I feel about myself – after Sunday’s “garage sale” birthday swap I can see I need to seize more of these opportunities.

Quite honestly, maybe I haven’t used the opportunity to erase money to its full extent, but I still feel like I’ve been on vacation from the world.  The mail still arrives with bank statements (I didn’t look at them yet), and Blue Rock Station has received quite a few book orders, and workshop registrations in one month – let’s say it is a record for us.

Jay tells me the news (although he didn’t have school last Thursday so I’ve had a week-long break).  I do see some news headlines Online that friends send, but I haven’t found any of it worthy of reading in depth. 

But how not spending money has influenced me is a little less clear.  No errands, no thinking about what to buy at the grocery,  using no energy at night or to cook, and most importantly, no going to a restaurant to eat a single bite of food.  

I do confess that I have mentally built up a tiny list of things I must buy to get ready for kidding season, and as the chicken scratch bin has gotten low I tell myself that I must go to town on Wednesday to buy them food.

Another truth is that I enjoy having a break from creating menus, buying food, and preparing it.  Jay’s given me quite a good vacation this month from breakfast food preparation in the mornings, and the rest has been taken care of with the menus.  We’ve almost always followed menus, but not for one whole solid month at a time, and, possibly this is the important part, we have had to stick with them even if I was too busy to have the food ready by mealtime.

Yesterday I went to Jeanette Weinberg’s “Garage Sale” birthday swap but I didn’t drive myself, as I reported I would have to do.  Instead Diane Luers telephoned to insist she was coming to get Catlyn and me so we could all go together. 

Jeanette – the birthday celebrity – notice her tiara (on loan to wear the day of the birthday)

Diane’s gesture may possibly be what all of THANKS FOR NOTHING is about.  As I thought through how I felt about her using her gas and taking her time to retrieve us, I felt a little guilty.  But then I also felt guilty at driving the car, and breaking my promise to myself about not using that form of energy for a month.

As I looked beyond the guilty stuff (after all I was raised Baptist), I was able to see that Diane’s kindness created a whole new afternoon for all of us.  The sun was shining when she arrived – full of smiles and a gift of dried mushrooms. 

We spent some time visiting with each other, and then loaded the car with all of our goodies for the swap.  The drive to town was filled with laughter and tidbits of gossip and more catching up.

For two hours we sorted, tried on clothes, laughed, ate food and generally enjoyed ourselves with the other wonderful women.  When we arrived back home we had a proper cup of tea and visited some more. 

When Diane was leaving she hugged Catlyn really hard and said, “It was so good to see you Bunny”.  I can’t say why that touched me so deeply, but I can see that she had given us a gift of herself…something that would not have been so rich if I had merely met her in town, and not accepted her gesture of kindness.

Nans Thomassey is right…money does remove us from each other at so many levels.  I have to try to hang on to how this works so I can allow myself to experiment and learn more about life without money.  Tomorrow is the last day of the month, but not the last day of giving thanks for nothing…I think it’s just beginning.

  Miss America, Nans Thomassey and Guillaume Charroin at Blue Rock Station waiting patiently to eat some of Jay’s famous gluten-free pancakes.

 

 

 

THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH DIARIES – Day 28

THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH             January 28, 2012                      7:34 AM

65 F indoors                 34 F outdoors

TODAY’S HAPPINESS FACTOR:  8 OUT 10

   Sophie and Cadeau, waiting patiently for me.

When I opened the door to the chicken chalet I saw his beautiful body resting on the floor, and I knew he was dead.  King Ferdinand, grandson of Antonio Banderos had just died before I opened the door.  He was young, healthy, and good at his job.  As I carried him to the house I felt worried about who would take his place.

King Ferdinand enjoying life with one of his hens.

Animals have been a big part of my January experiment.  Because the weather has been so good I’ve had more time to connect with them, and they have been happy to be my partners. 

Every single time I get ready to go out to do chores the dogs are so excited – really thrilled at the idea that the door will open into the outdoor world, and off we will go to the far off barn (800 steps from the house) to meet up with chickens, goats and llamas.

Sometimes when they are at the door dancing around, and Cadeau is turning in circles – just at the mere fact that we’re going off together – I think about how great it is to be happy about the smallest things in life, and I am grateful that they remind me of this.

I’ve taken a lesson from the dogs, I must admit.  On many days, when I am about to sit down to eat with my family I feel incredibly happy at the thought of it.  When Jay and I go to town together, or explore some new place I have this same sense of delight about life.  During my time in France I felt delighted almost every moment – looking at familiar things I cherished when I lived there, experiencing new people and new ideas.

This month has provided me with delight at every turn.  Each morning and each evening when I walk up to the barn I feel a sense of being nourished.  It is a great thing in life to have meaningful work, and I definitely feel that taking care of our livestock gives me a strong sense of purpose, a life connection.

Rosie, resting after a hard morning of guarding the livestock.

In the morning when I wake up I often feel energized by the thoughts I have when I begin to think about what I will write about that day.  Even if no one reads my words, I am pleased that I have the skill to put them into print.

Whenever I am sitting at the computer and one of the cats jumps up to sit on my lap while I work, I never fail to stop what I’m doing to pet them.  This month I have particularly enjoyed their attention, and appreciated the happiness they bring to my life.

The wind in my face as I walk has made me feel refreshed.  The stories I’ve relived and told this month have inspired me to think about what adventures must be waiting for us in the future.  The thoughts of new interns, and old friends visiting make me feel appreciative of what will happen this year.  I have really loved this time that we are alone together, and the fact that spring will come around again.

Staying put for one whole month has taken away some sort of expectation I’ve been carrying around – I don’t know what that means yet but not having any place to go has felt like a security blanket that keeps me warm and safe.

Michelle Belle playing the part of the jungle gym for two tiny goat kids.

Living without money has been so much more then just not spending it.  Somehow this month has erased barriers, and given me a new sense of myself – a re-writing of a small part of the core of who I am. 

I’m no Pollyanna though.  Don’t confuse me with anybody who puts her head in the sand.  It’s just that I want to live in a different world – a simple place where we focus on what we have in common.  And this month, I’ve spent a lot of time savoring the fact that I have things in common with everything that surrounds me.

The month’s not over yet, though, although I am not hoping to repeat what I found in the hen house last night – that’s just life happening in my real world, but it feels painful.  Instead, I am anxious to see what will come out of our experiment of living without money – and what has turned out to be my vacation from the world.

THANKS FOR NOTHING DIAIRIES – Day 27

THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH                                  January 27, 2012            7:40 AM

66 F indoors                 37 F outdoors

TODAY’ S HAPPINESS FACTOR: 7 out of 10

Family meeting day

    Jay and Annie on their wedding day – his first waffle iron

This month has given me a new perspective on Jay.  In many ways our lives haven’t been any different then our everyday existence.  We work together and spend our spare time together, for the most part.

But the act of shutting down the computer during the day has given Jay some new incentives to do things differently.

But I am getting ahead of myself with what I wanted to say…One of my most embarrassing moments happened when Jay and I were first going together.  We had known each other a couple of months, so by now he knew that I was pretty serious about life, which he refused to accept about me, and told me so in every way possible.  I went out with him anyway.

This particular day Jay taught me cribbage, and a few other card games.  He won every time.  Of course I was calm and good-natured about all it because otherwise he wouldn’t take me seriously.

But then he suggested we play shuffleboard.  It had been a long time since I’d played so after refreshing me on the rules he offered me the first go.  As I shoved the disk I let go of the stick.  I don’t know what made me do such a stupid thing, but down the alley the stick and disk went without skipping a beat.

When I turned around to look at Jay he was laughing so hard  – it was the sound of music, of sweetness, of tenderness and love.  I’ve never stopped loving to hear that sound from him, even though he’s continued to find me quite humorous over the past 31 years.

   Jay and his youngest brother Roman in front of the Geppi’s Comic Shop, Clearwater, FL (Jay’s first management job)

This month Jay has been slightly different though.  Each morning around 9 AM he stands up from his computer and asks me what I want for breakfast.  Then, after a brief discussion he goes to the kitchen and, I do not exaggerate, he makes me a gourmet breakfast served on the tablecloth with a napkin.

This is the guy who asked me to dinner once, and then took me to the grocery store to buy a can of Campbell’s tomato soup, which we ate out of saucepan after he heated it up.  I went out with him anyway.

He’s always been a very helpful partner (even with the soup episode he shared his spoon), but this month he’s taken to keeping every dish washed as well.  When I come in from chores he loves to announce in a singing sort of way, “Did the dishes…”

I had an inkling he’d be a good partner when I first met him.  At the age of 23 he had no dishes in his kitchen, but he had a washer and dryer.  To me that seemed to say he had his priorities in the right place.  I even bought his philosophy on having one pan and one spoon – no dirty dishes to accumulate. 

Last night, as we sat in the candlelight eating the supper he helped me prepare (I started the food before I did chores and he added his own personal touches so it was on the table the minute I returned) I was filled with a feeling I have had often this month.

We were eating, and talking, and laughing together.  I am not sure why we never run out of things to tell each other, but we don’t.  I don’t remember what Jay was saying.   I looked into that face that was reflecting the candlelight and I felt so nourished by him.

Oh, I know it all sounds so silly, especially after 31 years of sharing his life.  But this month has given us an opportunity to move more smoothly together.  Some of that has been me, but, as usual, most of it is his patience and insightfulness into life.

I was right, all those years ago, to decide to love his laughter, rather than to be wounded by my awkwardness.  If things had been done differently I would have missed this month of giving thanks for nothing.

 

 

THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH DIAIRIES – Day 26

THANKS FOR NOTHING MONTH                                  January 26, 2012            7:20 AM

65 F indoors                 37 F outdoors

Rain, rain, rain

TODAY’S HAPPINESS FACTOR:  8 out of 10

 

Meaningful work…Annie mucking out stalls and Jay, the breakfast chef 2012

January has been a time of reminding me that life cannot feel secure unless those around us are safe as well.  Safety comes in many forms – healthy food, affordable health care, adequate energy for heating, a safe place to live, and meaningful work at a living wage.  I would also add good friends and strong relationships with others.

A huge part of being happy in life is rooted in our personal values and a sense of security.  And values and a sense of security are rooted in feeling free to make decisions.  It seems like we use the excuse that we don’t have time to do anything else, when it really amounts to the fact that we don’t know “how” to make more meaningful decisions about how we use our time.

Turning off the TV or the computer at a regular time and giving the gift of time for reading, playing games, or just sitting around the table talking is a big step towards a higher HAPPINESS FACTOR.  This is such a simple thing to do; yet we hesitate because technology is an easy way to spend our energy.  Creating a quieter environment actually takes less energy, and, as we’ve found this month, gives back energy.

Another idea is to step out into society to volunteer, or just fill in when needed.  It often feels like we have so little control over what happens in our world, but volunteering to help others (and not just at Christmas) is a terrific way to replace consuming habits, and fill up that space with a sense of being worthwhile…an exchange of something besides money for making the community around us safer in every way.

My freedom to choose is so much more then just a bumper sticker.  This month has made it clear to me that I can choose to step away from the world for a period of time so that I can decide what is important to me at a deeper level, or I can learn new skills or even new things about myself.  I am more determined then ever to fight for my right to have this kind of freedom from technology, from consuming, from commercialism or the opinions of others.

This month, as I’ve thought more about what it takes to be content, I can see that a big part of my HAPPINESS FACTOR came from working for the rights of other abused women, and by going to places I’d been told to never go, or that I’d never be welcomed into.  Prisons, halls of great power in far off places, on trains across foreign unfriendly lands, and finally building a house out of trash.

My journey from those experiences, and now from taking time this month to be on vacation from the world, only led me back to the place my grandparents had shown me – a simple life.  At this point there is just no going back to the old me, or the one that my culture demanded.  Even though I know this, I need to be reminded that there are ways to live my life without consuming, without shopping, without wasting things and taking away from the future.  After all I am an American, filled with her ideals and dictates.

Please don’t think I have all of the answers.  I’m trying to find my way, the same as lots of folks.  But I do want to find and hang on to the energy that is at the heart of feeling secure, and free to be a happy human being.  The ultimate foundation for living a life rooted in THE HAPPINESS FACTOR.