The Challenge

When I was a senior in high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. My wise and loving mother gave me a pep talk:

“Sis, I understand how daunting ‘The Unknown’ can be, but I promise that when you go out there into that unknown, you are not going to turn into a blob of humanity. You’re going to learn new things and do new things and you’re going to keep living and keep going.”

That “Blob of Humanity” speech has come in handy a few times, and I keep coming back to it when I experience a major shift in life. Today was the last day of my job. It wasn’t so much that I got fired, per say. More that I lost my job . . . in a snowdrift. I’ve been doing childcare and I commute, and with all the snow days and upside-down vehicles in the ditch this winter, we came to the mutual conclusion that it just wasn’t going to work like we’d hoped. I loved my job. I really, really loved it. The little girl I watched from infant to little kid is one in a million and I’m gonna miss her like crazy, and my daughters are going to miss her like crazy, but it’s for the best. At least we still get to be friends.

So here I am again, at the precipice of The Unknown. I’ll be a stay-at-home mom, but quite frankly I dread the idea of, well, staying at home. I remembered the few months before this job and the commute – which I enjoyed- there would be times that I’d go for days without leaving the house. I think I might just be a bit too claustrophobic for that…

As I was driving home tonight, on my last return trip for work, I went back to the “Blob of Humanity” speech. I consoled myself with the idea that with my extra time and flexibility I would be able to do new things and learn new things. I thought about how much fun it would be to teach my daughters how to do new things and started imagining what new things we’d learn.

And I started getting kind of excited. After all, there are a lot of things I have yet to learn. There are a lot of things I don’t know, or don’t know how to do. A whole world full of them. What a great opportunity to dive in and challenge myself! And I figured since I’m going to all the trouble to learn these things, I might as well share the experience with the rest of you. I have learned some helpful information over the years. For instance…

Never turn your back on a prickly pear.

Especially on uncertain terrain.

Unless you have a really great pair of tweezers, an hour of free time,

and a high pain tolerance.

Always make sure your boots are strapped on well enough.

Boiling eggs in sulpher springs causes a chemical reaction

that turns them black.

Folklore suggests that if you eat one

you will add seven extra years to your life.

I suggest that you should not feed them

to grown men before a car trip.

Permanent or Dry Erase Marker is easily removed

with vigorous scrubbing and rubbing alcohol.

Or time. But the rubbing alcohol is more fun. hehe

There are a few things to be learned here:

1. Do NOT turn your back on hubby when he has a camera.

2. NEVER buy a pair of pants without back pockets. They are kind to no one.

3. DON'T EVER put yourself in a position that invites unflattering comparisons. :)
4. This picture is quite motivational when applied to a refrigerator.

See - you're learning stuff already. ;) The thing I am looking foward to most is that I plan to really challenge myself when I'm thinking of things to learn. There will be at-home projects, but I'll also be going out there and interviewing people about how to do things and reporting my findings back to you.

I welcome suggestions!
I'm off to learn stuff! I'll keep you posted!
:)