After an early church service, I decided to call a well known whom I haven’t spoken with for some time just so we could catch up with each other’s lives. One of the subjects we touched on was the super-sensitivities people have in our times with just about anything. We decided it’s a by-product of man’s greatest evil–fear. There are all those fears nobody wants to talk about such as fear of growing old, fear of not being attractive, fear of loosing one’s job, fear of having no friends, fear of being outcast, fear of growing poor, and above all, fear of loosing control. The fear of loosing control is all the more prominent in our world because there are fewer choices in our lives that we really do have control over. Just think about how few we have absolute absolute control over.
It’s no wonder all the more are finding ways to go off the grid. I know of several couples who sold everything, purchased cheap motor homes, and started traveling the back roads of America. The last time I heard from one of them was about six months ago, and they’re loving it. They stay a while at different campgrounds, do odd jobs for managements as trade-offs for parking, and the rest of the money they make is from working in nearby orchards and vegetable farms which gives them enough money for food and gas. Now that’s what I call going back to the basics. Both couples are somewhere in their mid-fifties, and fit as fiddles. One of them said, “We worked many years to support ourselves and our children, so we decided it was time for us to do something we enjoy without having to answer to anyone.”
I’m sure such a lifestyle is not for everyone because whether we want to admit it or not, most of us are glued to our daily regimens, and sometimes even the slightest of change, can get us bent out of shape. What I believe would be great for each and every citizen of North Iowa, is to go travel to a State or Country where there are people in great need. It would almost be like taking a working sabbatical where we’re fully immersed in the daily lives of the poor. There are some church groups in our area that do that, but only a few who really work and live amongst those they’re helping. The perfect time frame to be there, would be one month or longer. You have to remember how hard it is for our firm and fast mentalities to change, which means there must be more time spent with them so to acclimate.
One of my listings sold today, and it sounds like Mason City will be adding another young couple from out of State. Let’s keep them coming. Irregardless of what anyone says, Mason City still has much to offer, while keeping in mind, we’ve had some pretty hard times in the past, yet we still managed to make it thru them, which in the end, made us all the stronger and versatile. Someone once said, “You have to experience the darkness before you can appreciate the light.” It’s sad to admit there are those who enjoy living in their darknesses, which unfortunately affects the lives of those around them. It’s too bad we can’t have districts created for the “People of Light”, and the “People of Darkness”. I can already envision myself driving down a street and seeing a sign reading, “You are now entering the realm of darkness.” Who knows what’s in store for us in the future because nearly everyone I’ve talked to have said, “Twenty years ago, I never would’ve imagined the world to be as it is today.” Now just think about what it may be like twenty years from now.
I took the above photo between showers. It seems everything comes alive when it’s wet and green.
Tonight’s one-liner is: The blossom of compassion will only unfold when we’ve set aside our egos and opened our soul/spirits to real suffering.
