There’s Always Time for Family
The Ozark Soul Journal
September – Week Two
There’s Always Time for Family
Welcome.
Pull up a chair for a little while. The coffee’s warm, the porch is quiet, and there’s always room for one more neighbor.
This week has been a pleasant one despite the
heat… very hot, actually. The temperatures may be telling us that summer isn’t quite ready to let go, but around here, my mind has already moved on to fall.
I arrived home Tuesday after another three-day pet transport route, and by Wednesday morning, I was already pulling out the totes and getting ready for the Old Time Farm Festival in Cabool.
After taking the hot summer months off from fairs and festivals and doing pet transport as a supplemental income, it was time to see what I had tucked away in those totes.
Apparently, I had forgotten a few things.
I pulled everything out, reorganized, rearranged, and added the new products I’ve been working on over the summer. There’s something about getting everything out where I can see it that helps me get my thoughts organized, too.
By Wednesday afternoon, I decided I needed to slow down for a bit.
I rested for a few hours before lunch, organized my calendar, gathered my thoughts, and then, because I have a habit of trying to accomplish everything at once, I ran a few errands in town.
Some things never change.
But Thursday morning brought a different kind of preparation.
Instead of preparing for a festival, I headed over to my daughter’s house with a few things I had in a pile and decided she could use rather than sending them off to the local donation.
And somewhere between dropping things off and visiting with my daughter, I found myself spending time with my grandson and his new baby goats.
Now, if you’ve never watched a child who loves animals tell you about them, you’re missing out.
My grandson had chores to do before starting his lessons and those baby goats were clearly an important part of his day.
He told me all about them. Their names.
What they were doing. Probably several other important details that I have already forgotten.
I’ll admit it.
I’m a granny.
I listened.
I nodded.
I smiled.
And I tried very hard to remember those goat names. Once I returned home, I had to message my daughter for their names for this journal entry.
My grandson Declan named the buckling "Cutie" and the doeling "Beauty".
I’m sure he’ll have to remind me again next time I visit.
Watching him with his chores and those goats made me stop to think about something we don’t always appreciate until we’re older.
There are things children learn simply by being part of everyday life.
Taking care of animals.
Doing chores.
Learning responsibility.
Understanding that something still needs to be done even when you’d rather be doing something else.
And sometimes, those lessons don’t come from sitting down and explaining them.
They come from simply doing.
That’s one of the things I love about the way of life here in the Ozarks.
There is still something to be said for knowing your neighbors, checking on family, sharing what you have, lending a hand, and taking time to sit and visit.
Life can get busy.
Believe me, I know.
Between pet transport, making soap, preparing for vendor events, keeping up with the website, and trying to remember everything on my calendar, there are plenty of days when I feel like I’m running from one thing to the next.
But I’ve been learning that being busy isn’t the same thing as living well.
Sometimes living well means putting down the list for a little while.
It means sitting with your grandson while he tells you about his goats.
It means taking something to your daughter because you think she might be able to use it.
It means visiting with a neighbor instead of rushing home.
It means stopping at the farmers market and talking longer than you intended.
It means making room for people.
Community doesn’t always happen through big gatherings or organized events. Sometimes it’s much simpler than that.
It’s a neighbor sharing vegetables from their garden.
It’s someone checking on an elderly friend.
It’s a grandparent standing in a barnyard listening to a child explain the personalities of a handful of baby goats.
Those moments may not seem important while they’re happening. But they’re the moments we remember.
As I finish preparing for the Old Time Farm Festival and get ready for the busy fall season ahead, I’m reminding myself to leave a little room in the calendar for the things that can’t be scheduled.
Family.
Friends.
Neighbors.
Conversations.
And maybe even a few baby goats. Because Country Bathworks may be the business I’m building, but the community around me is part of the reason I wanted to build it here.
I don’t want to become so busy building something that I forget to enjoy the people I’m building it for.
So this week, that’s my little reminder.
Make time for your people.
Call someone.
Stop by.
Take a child out to see the animals.
Sit on the porch.
Listen to a story you’ve probably heard before.
You never know which ordinary afternoon will become one of the memories you treasure later.
And if you’re lucky enough to have a grandson who wants to introduce you to his baby goats…
Well, you’d better stop and listen.
Even if you can’t remember their names afterward.
Until next Friday…
May you find time this week to slow down long enough to enjoy the people who make your life feel like home.
— Your neighbor in the Ozarks,
Granny Sherry
Country Bathworks
Comments