Monday, October 3, 2011

Grateful for Different-ness

"If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away."

~Henry David Thoreau~

In most areas of my life, I am different. Not a weird, wear-my-underwear-on-my-head, or a People of Walmart.com kind of "different", just different. I don't really fit into the world's mold of what they think a modern day momma should be, and unless I'm speaking to a cow, my conversations could be interpreted as bizarre. It usually isn't something I give much thought to because I'm comfortable in my own barn boots. But...

Sometimes I long for a moment where I can carry on a conversation about the newest fashions to hit the runway.

My current train of thought is on the dependability and shrinkage potential of flannel, and how popular it will become if only Heidi Klum would wear it on her runway.

Sometimes I think I'd like to spend an entire day window shopping at the mall.

And not wonder if there's a Cabela's nearby.

I think I'd like to open the refrigerator and grab a ready-to-eat snack and eat it while standing over the kitchen sink someday.

Currently, I have to factor in thawing, grinding, soaking, kneading, and cooking times. By then, I've forgotten why I wandered into the kitchen to begin with.

I dream of going into a real old-fashioned butcher shop and having my speciality cuts of meat handed to me already cut and wrapped.

Without having to pluck it myself first.

Someday I hope to have my teenage years relived by adding my favorite 80's music to my Ipod.

That is, after I figure out how to get the increasingly annoying music of Alvin, Simon, and Theodore off to make room for Van Halen and Fleetwood Mac.

I dream of wearing fancy dresses and learning how to dance the Viennese Waltz with my Mister.

Right now, our only dance is what happens when we forget to smoke the bees.

And forget about wearing a fancy dress.

Sometimes I want to chase down the school bus as it speeds past my house in the morning and holler, "Hey! You forgot some!"

Then I realize that the bus driver is speeding past my house because he knows how many children live there. (Or used to.)

I dream of pedi's and mani's with my girlfriends, of hair salons that refuse to accept coupons, and dates with my Mister that don't include our weekly trip to the recycling center.

Then I realize that being different makes me unique. No, you won't find me getting my toes all polished up in a fancy salon, and you won't see me sending my kids to school just to blend in with what everyone else is doing. You won't see me getting all gussied-up in an overpriced fancy dress, and while my kitchen may not have any ready-to-eat-[going-to-kill-you-eventually] foods, it does have a lot of ingredients. The reality of my life is simple. It makes me happy and I like it that way.

 I also like to shop at Cabela's. In my flannel shirt.

"Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness, and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy...

...or they become legend.

~The movie, Legends of the Fall~

This post is linked to Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers




14 comments:

Lisa said...

Love this. :) ~Lisa

KatB said...

What a great post! Just know that you're not the only one who is "different" - I haven't even stepped foot in a mall in years, and you'll have to pry my flannel away from me with a crowbar. :)

Wonderwoman said...

Kim, you are too cute!

Mountain Home Quilts said...

So really, why aren't we neighbors???!!
Wait, just neighbors?
No, we could be down right related some how!
Oh, and Legends of the Fall? Be still my beating heart- I love that movie.

Candy C. said...

Fancy dresses? Manicures? Pedicures? I figure the goats and the chickens would just laugh at me anyway! ;)

Amy Dingmann said...

What is so amazing to me about blog land is that when you finally have a minute to sit down and catch up what people are posting, you run into posts like these that are EXACTLY what you needed to hear. I kid you not, I think you and I had a psychic link today while I was with the boys at their swimming lessons, being stared down by all the community center people. I was having one of those small (very teeny) moments where I just wanted to blend in. But then Myself hit Myself upside the head and I got over it.

Thanks for this post. Besides making me laugh a big chuckle right before bedtime, you also made me smile. And those *are* two different things. :)

Anita said...

I actually bought some cans of soup today at WalMart....it felt....strange!

Kim @ Eat What You've Got said...

I truly understand this post. I, too, feel "different", when I get together with the other moms. Oh well, different IS good.

Freedom Acres Farm said...

I LOVE this!!! This IS my life! Thank you for letting me know it's ok and even wonderful to be "different". Incidentally, we have date nights at Fleet Farm :-)

the canned quilter said...

Are you sure we aren't related? Great post : )

Amy said...

Absolutely LOVED this post!!! I am you...you are me. This made me smile to realize that being different is a good thing. Thanks for the reminder!

Erica said...

Great post! I love it! I was wondering the same thing over the weekend! Consequently we spend a lot of time at Menards and Fleet Farm too! lol! And fancy dresses - yikes! I hate dresses!

Carol J. Alexander said...

Visiting from the Barn Hop. I'm convinced, We are Sisters!

Jill said...

visiting from the barnhop.

I wish I could be more stylish, hip, tech-saavy, too.

But an ipod won't help fix your car when it breaks down. Stylish clothes won't feed your family during a blizzard, and knowing the latest celebrity gossip won't feed the animals or tend the garden.

Every time I think about being different, I remind myself of what's important. Great post!!