Saturday, June 05, 2010

Become What You Miss




I think you'll love Sara's post. I certainly did. In fact, you might want to read it before you read mine (I'll wait for you. I promise.)

Sara spoke of missing certain things from her childhood, especially the old-fashioned patriotism many folks proudly spoke of and displayed. Then in her comment box a couple friends of hers wrote what they missed.

And while reading those comments this came to me: Become what you miss.

Do you miss a kind grandmother? Become a kind grandmother to a child. Make her childhood memory-filled. Do you miss Sunday drives in the countryside? Take those drives, yourself, and bring someone with you. Do you miss old-fashioned gardens or picking berries? Grow your own garden or help a friend tend hers. Plant berry bushes in your yard or consult your phone book for local farms which will allow you to pick from theirs. Take a friend or a child berry-picking with you.

We can stretch-out the Past, extend its delights by being or creating what we miss.

Yes, we can, too!

But I think we choose easy routes, instead. You know, we drive along Complaining Way. We take Good Old Days Are Gone Forever Street. We make a wrong turn onto Bitterness Blvd. or Whining Lane or Can't Go Back Court.

Today start being what you miss.

Buy a flag and anchor it to the front of your house. Take your kids or grandkids on an old-fashioned picnic to a place you went as a child or a place resembling it. (Don't have any kids or grandkids? Borrow some.) Find an outdoor drive-in restaurant and go for ice cream (don't tell me they don't exist. We still have many around Buffalo.) Plan a family reunion. Visit a mom and pop cafe and help them remain in business. Visit your ailing neighbor. Smile at everyone you pass by.

Don't feel safe today? Ask God to show you how He protects you. Don't feel the love you felt as a child? God still loves you like that--and once you know that love you can go around sharing it. Don't feel as creative as you once did? Begin a creativity quest. You can get it back, I promise. But you have to want it enough--and not give-up the quest too early.

Need I go on?

Now go read Sara's post if you haven't already and the comments, too. You'll understand my own post better. Then go out and enjoy an old-fashioned day. Do that daily and you'll create an old-fashioned life.


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Sometimes we miss the old-fashioned things still thriving all around us because we stopped searching when we believed they no longer existed.


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We are not helpless to create the life we dream of (or a perfectly delightful version of it)!

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A tiny bit more since sometimes I don't know when to shut-up:

Do you miss seeing old cars from the 1940's 50's and 60's? Find out where classic car shows are held in your area.

Miss 1950's and 60's decor in homes? Decorate your own home like that. Can't afford it? Sell the modern stuff you already have and use the money for old things found at yard sales, Ebay, etc. Ask for retro things for your birthday and Christmas.

Miss parades? Attend the next local one. Miss ice cream socials? Suggest one at your church or attend a community one or hold your own, maybe even ask your friends to dress in old-time clothing. Make it fun!

6 comments:

Sara said...

This is exactly how I've been feeling! How could all of those wonderful things have just gone away?

Debra said...

Oh Sara, I don't think they ever went away. Not completely, anyway. But too many people, I think, are watching too much tv news and believing the lie that *that* is what Life has become. But once you train yourself to open your eyes to all the good around your own town, your own world--you'll find it! It blows my mind how much good Tom and I find when we do our weekend 'yard saling.' Oh my, the sweet and light-hearted people we meet! So keep looking, never give-up--and keep *being* one of the old-fashioned, kind, patriotic souls in Today's world! Blessings, Debra

Sara said...

:) as a person sitting here almost giddy with the pleasure of my morning coffee on my back deck listening to birds and smelling the after-rain-smell, i am with you sister!

Tracy said...

Inspiring post, Debra! Now I'm off to read Sara's. :)

Joyce said...

Love this one, Debra. You have really inspired me today. I'm hanging the flag and looking for a croquet set. Homemade ice cream, anyone? Joyce

Thickethouse.wordpress said...

A great post....I've always felt the most pernicious fault of tv is that it makes people accept its picture of reality as what actually is real, when it is nothing of the sort....

My grandchildren call me "Nana" because I wanted them to call me the same name I called my darling grandmother who was such a part of my life. My grandparents lived within walking distance of my house, and my grade school was halfway between us. Behind their home was the paradise of my childhood, fields and woods leading to Rocky River Valley, part of the Cleveland Metroparks. We had so much fun. I want to have a relationship with my grandchildren that is a tiny bit the same..........

This is sort of like Ghandi's idea of "be the change you want to see".

I think people can decide what they want their lives to be like and them make them so. There is so much that is good, but the media seems to reflect a lot that is not true. This influences young people more because they don't remember it being different. But even then, lots of kids I know are readers and make their own ideas of what they want their world to be like.