SOL 18: Where I’m From

Posted on March 29th, 2018

I’ve made my own Where I’m From list after reading another slicer’s list (that I didn’t bookmark and now can’t find…sigh.) I did save the link to George Ella Lyon’s Where I’m From poem, though.

I wouldn’t call mine a poem; it still needs work! I decided to write each line as a contrast of me growing up and the me I am today. As Lyon points out (at the above link), these lists can be “a corridor of doors opening onto further knowledge and other kinds of writing.”

Where I’m From
I’m from the Oregon mountains and the Concho River
I’m from old-fashioned roller skates and yoga mats
I’m from the Bobbsie Twins and House on Mango Street
I’m from wading in the creek and hiking in Big Bend
I’m from Kool-Aid and hot tea
I’m from hand-me-downs and Vogue Patterns
I’m from nursery rhymes and Emily Dickinson
I’m from skinned knees and cardio fatigue
I’m from homemade brownies and sourdough bread
I’m from book reports and book clubs
I’m from peanut butter & jelly and Quinoa salad
I’m from little sister and grandmother Hess
I’m from homemade Barbie clothes and hand pieced quilts
I’m from Bible verses and Bible study
I’m from paint-by-number and hand stamped cards
I’m from library books and Amazon Prime
I’m from Brownie Scouts and Boy Scout Council

SOL 18: Changing Perspective

Posted on March 28th, 2018

I’ve been plowing my way through Meet the Frugalwoods (see earlier post here). Thames’ conversational style makes the reader feel as if she is having a personal conversation with the author. Several statements have jumped up off the page and made their way into my journal. For instance, she writes that “the key is to identify what matters most…what brings you the most enjoyment.” (p.103). Once those priorities are established, the next step is to cut out the other things that are “frittering away your cash.” (p.103)

This advice reminds me of financial advice like “make your money work for you.” However, the Frugalwoods first established what they wanted most in their lives and then went about figuring out how to use (or save) their money in order to live the life they prefer. Instead of feeling as if they are depriving themselves, they focus on finding “less expensive options” to embrace “a lifestyle of luxurious frugality.”

Captured first bloom of spring this morning.

The juxtaposition of luxurious and frugality has lodged itself in my mind and kept me thinking about my own perspective on money. I still have a ways to go, but I see how postponing purchases to consider their real value and identifying what constitutes a need versus a desire can be life-altering. So I’ve been reminding myself to find joy in small things like noticing the changes that spring is bringing to our yard, stopping to listen to bird songs, and just breathing in fresh air on my morning walks.

Best part? The only cost to me is a change in perspective. Not to say that I won’t be tempted soon to buy some new craft item or baking utensil, but now at least I have a strategy to determine whether that thing is necessary for my happiness. On that thought, I will leave you with a cinquain I was inspired to write from a comment Kristi Lonheim left for me on Monday and her Tuesday Slice: Inspired Cinquains. Thanks, Kristi!

Perspective

Limited Vision

A frame of reference

Discovering a new window

Viewpoint