The Great Outdoors: Another New Year
I have seen many New Year’s in my life. Seventy-nine of them, to be exact. Only 1% of my generation is still alive today.
Most of us were born into hardship during or shortly after World War II. We grew up with our families struggling. They reused just about everything. Nothing was ever wasted back then.
At night, for some, lights were not turned on by flipping a switch. Light came from a kerosene lantern or candles. You did not turn up the thermostat if you were cold. You put another log in the fireplace or wood stove. There was no air conditioning. You hoped for a cool breeze through the screened windows.
For some, water came from a spring. For others, it came from a faucet. The bathroom was not in the house. It was outside, down a well-worn path. There was no flushing required. When you were little, it was a scary place. An old Sears catalog was always in there, and it was not for reading.
For some, food did not come from a grocery store. They grew the vegetables they ate. They raised their own meat and butchered it. Some of their food came from wild meat they hunted or trapped.
Those who grew up on a farm knew milk came from a cow and learned how to get it from her. City folks grew up with milk being delivered to their door in glass bottles.
Kids knew what it was like to work hard every day no matter how old they were. Kids also knew what it was like to be disciplined by a bare hand on their backside or a hickory stick across their legs. There was nothing called child abuse back then.
If you were lucky enough to have a phone, it hung on the wall. You cranked it to get an operator to connect you to someone.
A kid’s imagination was their playground, whether it was around the farm, exploring the woods or wandering around the neighborhoods in town. Their parents did not worry unless they were not home by the time they told them they should be. Then they would come looking for them, and they better have a good excuse or they would get grounded, get a spanking or both.
Childhood was secure after the war was over. We had a bright future. There was no terrorism, no internet, no global warming debates, no politicians bad mouthing each other, no negative news media, no Facebook, no social media. There was optimism, innovation and growth.
We are the last generation to live through a time when black-and-white television was cutting-edge. Shopping meant visiting stores downtown or on Main Street and not Amazon or giant shopping malls. Polio was the feared disease, not Covid, cancer or other diseases we have today.
Back then, most people went to church as a family every Sunday. You read your Bible and prayed together as a family. That Bible was a guide for the life you should live.
Our parents worked hard to rebuild their lives. Kids grew up in a world of endless possibilities. We thrived in a time of peace, progress and security that I wonder if the world will ever see again. I worry about the world my grandkids and all kids are growing up in today.
I want kids to know there is a big difference between being worn down by life and being worn out from walking through the woods. One drains you, the other fills you with wonder.
I want them to know that sometimes, the most healing thing they can do is turn off their smartphone or computer, build a campfire and sit in the stillness until their heart catches up with their soul.
I want them to discover that poking at a campfire with a stick is one of life’s greatest satisfactions. I want them to know they don’t need fancy, expensive things. A campfire on a river will suit them just fine.
I want them to know that sometimes the best thing to do is go fishing, even if they only catch some peace of mind. While they are out there, I want them to know that God blessed them with everything surrounding them. When they look up at a star-filled sky, I hope they thank Him for all He created for them to enjoy.
I want them to know miracles are not just the great, good things that will happen in their lives. They are also small, unnoticed things that unfold every day, such as the gift of the air we breathe, the sunrise that welcomes our day, the starlit peaceful night before we go to sleep and the nature that surrounds us during the day.
These are gifts from God. But sometimes, we forget to appreciate them because we are waiting for miracles. The truth is, each day is a miracle waiting to be discovered, recognized and appreciated. I want them to know sometimes they may never know what the value of a moment is until it becomes a memory.
I want the adults reading this to know sometimes God’s answer to our prayers takes longer than we expect. You will fight off doubts that creep in. You wonder if anything will change at all. Yet, day after day, keep praying. Keep trusting. Stay faithful in the silence.
Then, when you least expect it, God shows his timing has never been anything but perfect. Keep your faith alive. The wait is worth it.
Keep writing your story. You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one. Don’t keep holding on to your past, hoping for answers that never come. The truth is, you can’t move forward if you keep looking back.
Let go of the what-ifs, the doubts, the pain. They are not a part of the story you are meant to write next. The future is calling. Your family needs you. The rest of life is unwritten and is waiting for you. You hold the pen, so turn the page.
The older you get, the more you should think about how you only get a minute, so live while you are in it, because it will be gone in a blink.
The truth is, it is the people you love, not all that money and stuff, that make you rich. You don’t need a lot of friends when those you’ve already got always have your back.
I have a lot of wrinkles now, and that is okay with me. They are from times I have laughed and cried. They are the road map of the life I have lived. I am another step closer to going home.
The older I get, the longer and more often I seem pray. I am either making up for lost time or maybe I have more to say. I am grateful for family, friends and church. I am grateful for the life I have had and the life I am still living. I do look forward to whatever God has planned for me in another new year.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“Let each new year find you a better person.”
- Benjamin Franklin
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/879424?ref=happy-new-year
https://www.azquotes.com/quote/879424?ref=happy-new-year