Strengthening the Family Part 16 - Joy thru Variety

 

I grew up on a dairy farm. From the time I was 5 until after I graduated High School, we milked cows. My dad probably put in 50-70 hours each week. Worse than that, that meant every morning and every evening, 365 days per year those cows needed to be milked. It didn't matter if it was Christmas morning, or there was a wedding to attend, we needed to make sure that things were tended to. There were a few days that they would hire someone to milk for us, but we sure couldn't stray far. By the time I got to be old enough to move out, I loathed those cows and being there. Then, about a month after I graduated, a miracle happened. The dairy barn burned down, and without insurance, my parents were forced to sell the cows. A major reason pursued a career in engineering is I knew it would allow me to have the time available to do more as I pleased.

If there is anything that having the dairy taught me, was to appreciate any time off. Even if we do not have the whole day off, it is so beneficial to make the most of any time available. 

Most people in today's world are surrounded by gadgets of one sort or another. We have our TV's, game consoles, computers, phones, Istuff, and a myriad of other ways to waste precious time. While none of those things are evil, they all can chip away at the time allotted in your short lives. 

Maybe we are in a situation like my parent's dairy where we are unable to stray far from home. That is fine, use your imagination and find ways to garner interest in life. When I was a kid, my brother and I who were too young to drive anything but slow moving vehicles, would borrow a tractor to drive up in the mountains and roll out sleeping bags to camp the night.

Metaphorically, I try to do that today with my own family. We have a computer at home, but no network TV, and my wife and I have the computer locked with a password so the kids can't just jump on it when they are bored. This will force the kids to go outside and do creative things. I give them open reign to go and do things outside as long as they come back at a decent hour. 

As husband and wife, we try to mix things up as well, we go for evening walks, we may play games, or go for a drive. Anything that breaks the daily routine is a positive step. 

Appreciate the Beauty 

My 14 year old daughter is a gem. I can take her on a walk, and she will be so observant of the little things. I typically like to go along this dirt road to a dried out lake bed near my home town. Along the way, there may be a cricket sitting on a rabbit brush, or something like that. She will stop and stare at it and note little things about it. Maybe there are some birds or horses we will comment about while walking along. Whatever, it is that one on one time of spending with them, without the distractions of modern living. 

 

During the winter, it is a little tougher to get the ambition to put on a heavy coat, with some heavy boots, and go out there. The burn of the cold on your ears and cheeks make if less enjoyable, but still it is worth going out. Even being indoors, there are many things you can do. Take a look at photos, spend some one-on-one time with members in your family.

"I'm bored"

We all have heard that tired old phrase, I'm bored. Sometimes I get that way. Ironically, those times when you are bored are the times when creativity happens. We are not bored if we have a "Call of Duty" game going, but we are not creative either. Three weeks ago, my oldest son asks me if  can build a trebuchet (catapult that uses a heavy weight instead of relying on spring action). I told him to build a small working model, and I would get the materials for a full sized model. In doing so, I was given the opportunity to teach him several things about working with wood and proper design. We will probably get the full sized model done this spring. 

 

If you find yourself bored, make note of that, and use the opportunity to do something ambitious and positive. Maybe start a garden, write something, or work on a skill. It is so much more rewarding than turning on a gadget. 

 

Variety with your Family

Most of what I wrote is finding joy by yourself. All of this can be implemented with your family. Take your wife out for a drive, walk with her to the post office. Play a game together, study together. There are a million different things you can do, not only to entertain yourselves, but to build relationships as you are building that model rocket. 

 

Assignment - Take account of your electronic time and make changes necessary to minimize that as much as practical.  Especially pay attention to media which affects your family negatively.