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

SNACKIN'

 

Well, this will give me good reason to eat one of my favorite snack foods! March 14^th is National Potato Chip Day!  We all have that one food we just can’t turn down, and for me it is the potato chip (or a version thereof – chips, nachos, cheezits, straws, etc.)

My most recent favorite is the kettle-cooked variety. It’s changed through the years as trends and availability have changed. I recall my mother making trips to find Sterzings chips before they were available in our town. She would drive at least 100 miles round trip to buy her chips. (Hmmm… maybe this chip craving is genetic?)

Lately, many restaurants have offered “home-cooked” chips. I haven’t gotten up the courage to make my own, but I might try that one day. (My recent homemade Crab Rangoon Pizza was a winner!)

And also happening March 31 is National Tater Day. (Do you see the pattern here?)

Another of my favorites is the twice-baked potato (or sweet potato). Doesn’t matter if it’s plain, cheesy, or loaded. They are all good. There must be a million potato recipes on the internet. Maybe I should get all of my grandchildren together and have a “Potato Day” and have each one pick a recipe for us to make. (Don't judge me! Yes – we can have a day where we just eat potatoes!)  And then maybe, whichever one is their overall favorite we could serve at our Easter meal.

It's okay. Give yourself permission to celebrate potatoes! (And aren’t you supposed to plant potatoes around Easter? I need to look that up!)

 

 

 

Contributed by Melody Lowe

 

 

Resolutions - How's that going?

Remember all those resolutions you made in January?

Remember all those expectations you had of yourself and other people had for you?

Remember all of that stress you placed on yourself right on the heels of all of the holiday pressure you endured?

Did it make you feel like this?  AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

Consider this subtle shift. 

Make a few SPRING resolutions instead. Instead of trying to rejuvenate your life in January when Earth is in the middle of winter and everybody just wants to hibernate, consider planning your rejuvenation with the Earth’s spring wake-up.

This is a natural time of awakening and rebirth in our culture. Everybody is excited for the first day of spring, spring break, and Easter celebrations. We finally have sunlight past 5 pm so we feel inclined to get out and enjoy the evening rather than cozying up in the house. You see people out walking, children outside playing, people in parks… Everyone is ready to “get out there.” Doesn’t it make more sense to make a few resolutions in conjunction with that?

A word of caution. Just like I said in January, don’t make your goals so high, or have so many, that you feel overwhelmed and the experience becomes negative. Just pick what reset point works for you (New Year’s or New Spring, or maybe something else) and be comfortable moving forward.

The equinox is not that many days away! Happy Spring to you!

Contributed by Melody Lowe

 

 

Tis the Season...

...for many types of celebrations - Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and others, but today I'm focusing on Yuletide.

Since prehistory, the Winter Solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures and marked by a wide variety of festivals and rituals.

Yuletide was the pagan celebration of the season for many Germanic-based cultures and can last anywhere from weeks to months. All of us have borrowed traditions from Yuletide without even realizing it. Consider the Twelve Days of Christmas! This is the period from Christmas until January 6^th, and I personally refuse to take down my decorations at home until this date. After all, there’s some German in my ancestry.

Perhaps you have a fireplace. Do you burn the Yule Log? This seems to be more of an English custom. Again, this goes through a period of about 2 weeks (or the 12 Days of Christmas) to signal the onset of Winter and provide light on the longest night of the year, as we begin to look forward to the return of the sun.  You may also partake of some wassail around the fire – or maybe you just prefer your favorite wine.

Do you have a Christmas tree, or wreath or other evergreen in your home? Join together with friends and family for a Christmas feast? Join others to loudly sing songs of revelry? All traditions related to Yuletide.

As you ponder what fun activities you may partake of this Christmas season, here’s a link to one in our community you may like to participate in. Hospice of Davis & Wapello Counties “Longest Night of the Year” service.

May you enjoy all the blessings of this holiday season no matter how you celebrate it!

Merry Christmas!

contributed by Melody Lowe

 

Finding a Career Path

Let me tell you, choosing or changing careers is never easy.

The career path I wanted to take in high school didn’t work out. It takes a lot of college money to be an architect! My family didn’t have the means to provide a college savings plan and I wasn’t comfortable going deep into student debt during that recession!

So, I pivoted and took a job at the local hospital. It turned into a career as I continued to advance my knowledge and skills, working my way up from being a “runner” delivering supplies to the patient care units, to being a business manager. I worked there more than half of my life until a change in leadership forced a change upon me.

I had to start a new career, for I wanted a career, not just a job. I needed to be challenged, and feel like I was making a difference for people. I was fortunate that Bob Kramer was hiring at that time. He has been my mentor, my business partner, and my friend. I will be forever grateful of the opportunity and support that Bob has given me. I love this job, but it isn’t and wasn’t easy. It was a BIG learning curve with lots of tests and annual education requirements, and I embraced the challenge, and continue to meet new challenges every day. I am always learning.

In today’s job market, there are just as many challenges for those dipping their toe in for the first time, or those looking elsewhere for the job they want. Those students whose families have thought ahead to provide education dollars are fortunate. With the expansion of how funds can be used in 529 plans, they have more options. They need those options as the scope of job types is growing every day. From corporate jobs, to gig work, to being an entrepreneur, the choices are endless, and searching the internet brings up new possibilities every day.

I encourage you to help your students understand the opportunities before them, and guide them as they navigate the path to their dream career. And never hesitate to reach out and use the professionals and resources available to support you in this planning.

 

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