Time, Happiness, Responsibility

Yesterday was the homeschool support group meeting. This meeting has fewer in number attending than the activity meeting, but the few are faithful, attending pretty much every month. Why? We like each other, we like talking, and we make the time for what is important to us.

Four moms and our kids were there, with one mom coming late and leaving early. I don't think you could put together a more diverse group in many ways. I know we voted for at least three different presidential candidates among the four of us. One or more are self-identified Christians, heretics, conservatives, liberals, hippies. Two of us live "out" (way out, in the country), two live "in" (the city). Our ages span about 20 years.

We are alike in that we all homeschool our kids, we're weird (we all make life choices different from the mainstream), and none of us wears make-up.

As we solved the problems of the world in our conversation and stayed on that cold hard bench in that park for more hours than we'd really set aside for it, we agreed. For all our fundamental political differences, we agreed. We agreed that it is stupid for people to not be responsible for themselves and lamented all the people we know who don't take self-responsibility. Not blame: Responsibility. Our lives are the result of our choices.

We also agreed, at least the three of us, that the primary peril to the world is consumerism, pure and simple. People, we have SO MUCH. I know I do and we have long lived below "poverty" income. I have bottom feeder cars, sure, but I also have a nice palm pilot thingie which I really don't think I could live without. A cell phone. This computer, obviously. DVD player for the kids, which has been a great learning tool in my opinion. Not to mention the horse although here he is purt near a practical thing.

Maybe the very base of the problem is that people aren't happy. It takes time to be happy and they are too busy rushing from one thing to another to have the time to be happy. Buying more stuff, working more, not ever having the time to come and just hang out with each other -- if there isn't an activity, it can't be worthwhile. They treat things that are just not life and death as if they were.

And perhaps that is the heart of "the simple life", life on the farm, for me -- TIME -- time to be with my family, time to fish, time to hang out, go for a ride, watch the night sky. Not that it isn't busy here at times, but that with this life, I am NEVER going to get it all done anyway so why not take a bit of time out now and enjoy it?

I think I'll do that right now!