“The future is now” wrote R.U. Sirius of Tidal magazine in the early 2000’s, and while this saying may sound like a cliché by now it has more truth than ever before with how quickly technology evolves today. For me personally 2018 was a year that I didn’t quite know what to expect from but one thing remained constant: frugality!
In 2005, I began blogging. I started telling my tale sixteen years ago, when I first opened my browser. When dinosaurs inhabited the planet, I used to joke about creating a blog. That’s how it seems at times.
Revanche’s post reminded me that another blogging anniversary had passed me by. Every year, I’m quite sure I’ve missed it. How has it been so long since I first shared my thoughts with the world?
I typed anything came to mind in those early days. I didn’t double-check my spelling or read my sentences aloud. I pressed the keys as quickly as my fingers allowed.
Today is one of those days when I want to write on my blog as if it were a diary. As the year 2021 draws to a close, I can’t help but think on what a roller coaster of a year it has been.
We were homeschooling for the first time last year around this time. We’ve also begun looking for a new home. We felt it was time to relocate while purchasers were making cash bids with no commitments.
We adopted a patient and cautious approach to home searching after first rejecting all of the indicators that we were purchasing the wrong property and reflecting on our previous blunders while buying a house in our 20s.
Purchasing a home in 2021 proved to be a rough trip, but we eventually found a charming and intimate property with more green space. The air seems a bit fresher out here, only an hour away from our previous location, and my lungs can open a little broader.
My father got almost bedridden while we were packing and relocating. He used to spend his days in my old bedroom, lying on a mattress and looking at the walls.
He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer a few weeks later. Our relocation is, I believe, a blessing in disguise. We currently reside less than twenty minutes from my childhood home, allowing me to assist my parents in managing and protecting their resources. I can also declutter my parents’ home since they have much too much stuff and nowhere to put it all.
One of the most difficult things I’ve ever done is walk my father through this diagnosis. I try to center myself and take deep breaths before each doctor’s visit, but receiving the bad news still takes me to tears. I strive to be bold, but it’s not always feasible.
It’s difficult to contemplate dying, yet it may be beneficial. It allows me to think on the things that are important to me. It reminds me of why I quit my well-paying work and why I no longer desire a career. Thinking about mortality inspires me to give up purchasing things and instead live a life of voluntary simplicity.
It serves as a reminder to offer large hugs and reach out to friends and family members who are in need. I wish I didn’t have to endure the stern reminders, but I’m grateful for the jolt they provide me.
I’ve been having a lot of money dreams lately. I keep reaching down to the earth, looking for pennies, in the whirlpool of my mind. It serves as a reminder to me to keep focused and centered when I wake up. After writing about money for so long, one’s view on everything else might become skewed.
Despite the bad circumstances, I choose to remain thankful on most days. I’m taking the time to ask myself what I need and scheduling time to concentrate on the positive aspects of my life. I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to tell my father how much he means to me.
My husband and I shifted our kids to a new school and started the hustle of daily life in between driving my father to medical visits. It may seem weird, but I miss the worldwide pandemic’s imposed silence on sometimes.
With nowhere to go and nothing to do, the time allowed us to draw closer. We’ve back to hectic weeknights of basketball practice and weekends full of games now that life has returned to some kind of normalcy.
I blogged about our forthcoming modest Christmas last December. It seems even more vital this year to be deliberate with our time.
The year 2022 is rapidly coming, but I’ve chosen to forego a large New Year’s resolution in favor of setting new monthly objectives. I’m not sure I’ll be able to generate the courage to push through a major effort. Instead, I’ll approach 2022 in little steps, one small aim at a time.
Despite all that is going on in my life, I try to concentrate on the positive. My life’s road map has been full of peaks and valleys. I can plan for sunny days, but we all know that life doesn’t always go as planned.
Finding a glimmer of light in an otherwise darkish environment is the key. This post may seem depressing, but I’m certain that if I seek hard enough, I’ll find one. I do that all the time.