Forest Shenanigans & MS Visitors

A few weeks ago, we had our first of many MS visitors--Bode. The three boys had a blast in the forest and river!

Memorial Day Weekend our neighbors from Blue Springs, the Johnsons minus 2, came to visit. Jackson and Wyatt played almost every single day for years. Seeing them smile, run around, and play was such a treat.

As a bonus, I got to hang out with Tawana. Adult conversation during the day while Johnny is at work...priceless!

And of course, no Johnson visit would be complete without Mylan. She was a little upset that my freezer wasn't stocked with popsicles! 

Such sweet memories were made! 

And of course, a little sadness as we wished our friends good bye for while.

Guess who else came for a visit? Granny! I had to be in New Hampshire May 20--25 so Granny came back with Johnny and stayed Thursday night through the next Tuesday. I am so thankful she takes time to invest in a relationship with these guys! More priceless memories! We were thankful the snakes kept to themselves while she was here. She even braved a trail with us!

As for other MS visitors, Evrette and Bode visited for 3 days and Brian & Tessa Grammer stopped by for an hour or so on their way to North Carolina for their 3 week river living/adventure. Seeing friends and family always makes the heart smile. We look forward to more visits!

Since my last post, we planted our garden. Jackson had to plant some flowers around as well! We actually enjoyed our first picks from the plants a few days later (they were on there from the plant nursery). They were an exciting addition to the tacos we were having that night! We have several bell peppers, banana peppers, jalapeños and strawberries that are in the forming stage! **I am just now returning to this finish this post and we have had several peppers from our garden!

It is so nice to have time to sit, read, think, or do whatever. As a matter of fact, I am at the library right now scoping the aisles for a few new reads. Our transition to the library was interesting. I literally had to convince/beg the lady to give us a library card. Somehow they don't accept the forest as a valid TN address and they will not accept a PO box only. So after going into much detail about our situation and asking what she recommended we do to get books for my boys for school (insert Jackson's puppy eyes look) and for us to read, she finally granted our request on a trial basis! I think we are good now since we have made 6 trips in 2 weeks. As a matter of fact, I think she is kind of excited to see people so frequently. It is a very small, rural library but has access to everything we need through interlibrary loans.

I just finished reading Soulful Simplicity. It is about a woman's transition from hectic life to a simple life. I really enjoyed it and could relate to so much. One take away that I will end on is the parable of the Mexican Fisherman. It is something to chew on for sure.  I copied the following from the author's website, bemorewithless.com.

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.  Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna.  The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos.  I have a full and busy life.” The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

Live a Meaningful Life!