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