...that I was a mennonite.
I am having a really great day. It is unbelievably beautiful outside- not a cloud in the sky and about 75F and wonderfully breezy. Our dogs are such precious healing to my broken childless heart. I used my reusable shopping bags on my errands- I feel so fancy! And I went to pick up the cheese, lunchmeat, bulk items, eggs, and other meat (bacon, beef, sausage, chicken) from our mennonite place.
And as great of a day as I'm having, the mennonite (woman's) life (in my area) looks so grand (from my perspective).
First of all, I don't think mennonites struggle with infertility. Number one reason to be one! Haha! (Edited to add that I'm sure some do struggle with it, and hopefully our community will be supportive to them if they find us!, but just like alot of the quiv.erfull families, it seems like they all need a bus to get around!) But their lifestyle seems so satisfyingly simple. They work in the cheese shop in their feminine skirts and tops. They restock the freezers with fresh chickens and eggs. Even though they don't wear makeup, natural beauty is obviously valued in their communities. They assist their husbands in the bake shop. Or they stay at home with their several children who are all cute as buttons in their equally-simple-but-inspiring clothes. And hang out their cute clothes on picturesque clotheslines surrounded by lavender....
Okay, fine, I know that there are plenty of mennonite women who go to college and have more modern jobs, and that is really great, too. But when I go to get our things from their shops in my area, the ones who do the simple tasks always look so happy and content. I am thankful for all my education and my job and the modern bells and whistles I use all the time, but I think it would be very peaceful to take on such a simple role. (As you can tell, I am definitely not a woman who is preoccupied with busting through any proverbial glas.s ceiling...I think I would be very content to live in a simpler world with specific gender roles.)
I'd love to hear from any mennonite readers (I mean no offense by oversimplifying your life!)! And for everyone else, who do you sometimes wish you could be? (Aside from MOTHERS!!!)
Oh I think daily how nice it would be to live a simpler life. At my job so many people are about climbing that corporte ladder. Not me! I am happy (well tolerant) with my job. I do not want more responsibility even if it means more money.
ReplyDeleteI am with you, let's quit our hectic lives and live a simpler one!
We have mennonites around our area, too and I'm pretty sure that they still have to deal with infertility, miscarriage and infant loss. If they didn't- I'd become one, too! =)
ReplyDeleteI'm with T! No crazy corporate ladder climber here. I'd be super happy at home cooking and cleaning!
ReplyDeleteI worked for years outside the home. It was crazy and hectic. I mean, it was rewarding and a fine life. But when we were finally blessed with our one child, I decided that I didn't want to miss one mili-second of his life, because he might be my one and only. So I now stay home and cook, and sometimes clean. :) It is so peaceful. I LOVE that I can control almost everything in my environment. When I was at work, you never knew what kind of crazy person might show up or call and bust up your good mood. At home, I am just so peaceful and content. There are problems and life isn't easy. Mainly, it's a HUGE financial sacrifice for me to stay home and that always adds stress. But all in all, I am everlastingly grateful that I am able to choose this life. If I could be someone else, I would just choose to be me, only skinny and rich and fertile. :)
ReplyDeleteAmish. I have read several Beverly Lewis books and like you with the Mennonite, it just seems so simple, and carefree. In the sense of all the stuff we worry about.
ReplyDeletePez
Yes, I think the Mennonite life sounds pretty good, too. Or, why mess around, maybe just go full-Amish. I love their barn raisings - such a community spirit that's missing so much these days.
ReplyDeleteAnd I would love to grow my own food. I'm so jealous of you that you have a garden. What I really want to do is get some land, have a garden, an orchard, some chickens, maybe a cow...
Yes. The simple life.
I'm so with you! Especially about that glass ceiling comment. I remember a few years ago, one of my husband's friends asking me if I was going to get a "real" job, because surely, I didn't want to just be a housewife. I had been teaching part-time for 2 years, and apparently that didn't count as "real" work. I ended up in an insanely stressful office job that, as you know, killed my health and my spirit, and damn it I'm just plain happier as a housewife. Finally, I do work every day that MATTERS.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading an article once about homesteading - and how until just recently in history, most families worked together at home - husband, wife, and kids - and when the fathers started going out for work and the kids were sent off to school, and moms were relegated to chauffeurs, families started to fall apart. Even though life was "easier", it wasn't always happier. I totally get that. Sometimes, the simple living is best.