So there are times I find myself wanting more....more stuff like, well you know....nicer cars, more money and yes, a better house. Currently our family of four lives in a modest three bedroom ranch style house, one living room, one long galley style kitchen and a 1 1/2 bathroom. So...yeah sometimes I wish we had a second living room or a basement to spread out in and really there is nothing wrong with these wishes, but then I think - have I lost my perspective and really why do I want more? Do I really need more? I don't really know the answer to this...except that I probably don't need it, I just want it.
This summer I traveled back to where I grew up from the age of 6 to 16, Marshall, MO for my brother's wedding. In Marshall, we (my mother, step-father, my little brother and myself) lived in four different houses not to mention the one in Ashland, Mo. where we lived for only six months.
Out of these five homes our family of four all shared one bedroom in at least two of these homes...yep all in one room. Until recently, I really didn't think about living this way because when I was a kid I guess it seemed normal. Well, the funny thing about this trip to Marshall is that I was able to revisit one of the homes where we all shared a one bedroom home/apartment. What is so ironic is that my brother's youngest daughter is currently renting this as her first apartment. I hadn't been inside since I was 8 years old...yep a long time ago...and boy did it seem small. As I looked around my old home, I couldn't imagine myself living there with my wife and two kids and wondered how in the world did we all ever fit in there. I am not sure how exactly we did it, I guess because that was all we could do and like I said before, my little brother and I probably didn't know much different, except I do remember thinking our little triangular yard seemed a bit small, if not odd, not to mention technically we had to share it with the house next door. I am pretty sure we didn't have air conditioning either....man I know that wouldn't work now. Maybe it's possible it could work...the no air conditioning thing, but the problem is I have gotten used to having my A/C and it is hard to go backwards I suppose.
Going back to this little house reminded me that our family today has so much more than my family ever had growing up and while I think it isn't wrong for me to want or get something a little better than what I have perhaps if I take a moment and look back from where I came from then I could be a little more happier with what our family has and not necessarily looking for the next best thing.
Oh, and the next time I start griping about our 1 1/2 bathroom, maybe I should remember our first house in Marshall (a different one) where the toilet and sink was in my parents room with no wall to separate it....oh and did I mention there was no bathtub or shower? Oh, wait...there was a bathtub outside for the washing of the garden vegetables!
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