Get Dirty!

 

So… Cleanliness is next to Godliness, they say, but let me be the Devil’s advocate for a moment, please, and bear with me down the winding path.

One of the factors leading to my “cool grandma” status, is allowing the grandchildren to get dirty, do messy stuff, and use my tools. There are days you would be horrified to see the mess left in the wake of grandkid projects, but they are so happy when they’ve successfully created something.

We all know cleanliness may be next to Godliness; however, God is also a Master Creator, and I’ve never worked with a creative person whose work area was “clean.” 

If you are a painter, there are always paint splatters, paint brushes, your clothes, the floor, your hair, and whatever else you touched that needs to be cleaned.

If you do crafting, its always the glue, the tiny scraps of whatever you cut, stuff that fell on the floor and stuck to your shoe, leftover pieces that need to be cleaned, and the "stuff" the vacuum refuses to pick up.

If its woodworking, it’s the sawdust, the stain, and splinters in your hand. Heck, I can’t even draw on the sidewalk without being covered in chalk dust.

You just absolutely cannot bring something new into this world without some mess. Just ask an OB nurse if you need confirmation of that!

So, what is my point?

If you hold on too tightly to the admonishment that cleanliness is next to Godliness, you may expect your life to be simple and easy. Everything in its place, nothing to worry or complain about. You may expect to live your life on Easy Street, and end up being very frustrated when things don’t go according to your plan.

Therefore, I ask you to consider this perspective. Being created in God’s image makes us creators, too. And, as I said, creation is messy. This is why sometimes our lives seem so complicated. There are always problems to be dealt with. Things are put in our path, both good and bad, that we never expect. "Stuff" changes all of the time. We have to learn how to be the engineers and architects of our own growth, the explorers that carve out the path when we can’t see what lies ahead, and most importantly, mentors to assist those brave (or foolish) enough to follow us.

I guess my point is – Get messy. Get dirty. Get involved!

Life ain’t easy, so share what you know, support who you can, and work together to creatively follow the path to happiness.

 

 contributed by Melody Lowe

And once all of the presents have been opened, you hear the words...

I just can’t believe it when I hear somebody speak these words! 

The crazy thing is, this is one my goals.

Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a goal. I’ve heard about bored housewives, how does one become that?

I have never in my life been bored. I suppose I probably said that when I was a kid, as a lot of kids do. But certainly not since high school have I ever been bored, there’s just too much to experience and accomplish.

First off, just staying ahead of housework keeps one busy. And, all of the errands that must be completed, and if you have young children there are all kinds of school activities to put on top of “just keeping up.”

But all of that aside, I have always found things that I wanted to do or wanted to learn to keep me busy. I love to read and to spend time writing. I enjoy many shows that provide education. As a child I loved it when Jacque Cousteau or Marlin Perkins would be on television. I enjoy watching Jack Hanna (I was fortunate enough to meet this gentleman), Albert Yu-Min Lin, and many programs on the History Channel, National Geographic, or PBS.

I was thrilled when the internet came into being. I’m a self-described internet gypsy. I’m always looking up something and wandering from page to page to page learning about new things – or old things that I find of interest. I’ve met some really great people this way.

 Every job that I’ve ever had, I had to learn something. My current “day job” is challenging and ever changing, so learning happens every single day. And, I can’t even imagine what career path I might have taken had the internet been available to me in my youth. The possibilities are endless so how could I ever be bored!

(And just in case you are bored, do your own gypsy hop to this site.)

Then there is my DIY side. I enjoy experimenting with many types of crafts. I’ve tried a lot of things; crocheting, embroidery, quilting, paper quilling, painting, kitchen crafts, fudge-making, the list goes on and on. The flip side of “crafting” is doing things in my home, like wallpapering, painting, plaster repair, installing tile, and this list also goes on.

Now, that my circumstances allow, I’m also enjoying some travels. It’s fun to go to new places and learn about those communities. I’ve trained my grandchildren well in these adventures and they’ve learned we are going to do something we can’t do at home, and eat in a “real” restaurant, not a fast-food place. We are going to read a book we’ve not read before, or watch a movie we’ve not seen before. They are beginning to appreciate these experiences over material things.

Back to my goal of being bored … There is always something to do, something to learn, or some place to go so it will take me a very, very long time to reach the point when “I’m bored.” I don’t know if I can even achieve this goal!

 

Contributed by Melody Lowe

I had forgotten how magical it is to watch someone’s face when inspiration hits them! You can see their feelings of joy and accomplishment bloom. I was reminded of this recently as I watched my youngest grandchild solve a problem.

She’s a very petite and tenacious five-year-old. She was helping set out the Christmas decorations and had become engrossed in the study of a 3-D Christmas card hanging in the hallway. It was a fun scene of Santa taking a vacation on the beach. Being about a foot too short to see it well, she kept stretching and twisting trying to take it all in. She asked a lot of questions about the scene. I was not close to her as I was sitting on the floor putting together some decorations I had added to my collection, and apparently, I was not answering her questions as well as she would have liked.

Suddenly, she got quiet (Parents – you know this warning sign…) so I watched her to see what she was up to and the wheels were definitely turning. And then I saw it. The moment of inspiration as it spread across her little face. Her eyes brightened; her smile huge. She started humming as she literally skipped to the kitchen and moments later, came back with a stepstool. She promptly sat it on the floor right in front of the Christmas card, stepped up on it, and she was beaming with pride that she had solved her problem without help from anyone. She then proceeded to confidently describe to me all the details of the card that she could now see and touch and which made her feel a part of the decorating activities.

It's a kind of magic when you have this feeling of inspiration, big or small. Inspiration instills energy and confidence. You walk a little taller. You believe in yourself and your plan. Inspiration motivates you to see it through to success, and you end your day with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. Everything just feels better… and isn’t that magical.

Contributed by Melody Lowe