Gratitude
@conradt nominated me to start out with him on this journey of bringing positive vibes to Steemit.
First off, I am grateful that I missed a day yesterday and didn't beat myself up over it. Life happens and I am back today.
A Truck
When I was a kid, we didn't have a car - and no, I didn't grow up in New York City where that is common.
I grew up in a Germany that just started to recover from the damages of the war when I was born. I mentioned before that I was the 4th child in my family - born 10 years after the arrival of my oldest brother.
My mom got her first washing machine when I arrived. I bet she was grateful for that!!
When I was little, cars drove so infrequently along our street that we looked at them as great entertainment. When we needed to go somewhere, we walked. Very infrequently did we take a bus home after one of our Sunday hiking outings when everyone was too tired.
That suited me fine because I used to get violently car sick during the few occasions when I wrote in a car of a friends family. Nobody really wanted me to come with them and I cannot blame them. I lasted about a mile before I started..... but we don't need to go into details.
By the time I was 18 - the legal driving age in Germany (at least at that time), cars were quite common, my brothers each had one and my parents finally bought one too. I was ready to get my license and to this day, the only time I don't get motion sick is when I drive myself.
Fast forward to life in the US - especially in California. Everything is built for cars. Housing and stores are far from each other, car drivers don't seem to see pedestrians, the sidewalks have no shade - it is not fun to walk. Especially not with 3 kids in tow.
When my children were young, we moved several times. A truck would have been nice.
We also chose for me to take on the unpaid position of mom, child rearer, homeschool teacher and jack of all trades. Our income was limited and second-hand everything was our very favorite.
Gifted furniture is great - but you need to get them from one house to another. A truck would have been nice.
Later, I catered and did street fares and had people watch me with their mouth open as I packed a seemingly impossible amount of things into my little Toyota hatchback. A truck would have been nice.
When I had my store, I often went to Costco to stock up on items for resale. Same Toyota, same story. A truck would have been really, really nice.
Then we moved to the house we live in now. No more kids to drive around - they are all grown and have their own cars. But we have 1/3 of an acre and gardens need horse poop and all kinds of organic material.
I knew a lady with over 40 rabbits. Do you know how great rabbit poop is for the garden? They threw all of that precious fertilizer into the trash. Being a master composter and an environmentalist, that just about drove me crazy!!
I purchased totes for them to fill so I didn't have to deal with plastic bags and stuffed my car to the hilt with rabbit poop containers. A truck would be nice.
Finally, my husband couldn't stand it anymore. He and I have very different ideas of car buying. I see how much money I have saved and buy what I can get with it. He looks what he wants and gets a loan to get it.
Long story short. His son came for a visit and the two of them went out and got me a truck!! A used truck, but still the newest and most expensive car I ever owned. Yes, we got a loan - and I paid it off as quickly as possible.
I am grateful for my truck. It has brought endless loads of manure, soil, mulch, shelves and, and, and to our house. And to other peoples houses. I remember the many times when I thought how nice it would be to have a truck. When someone is in need, I am grateful that I have a truck to loan to them.
In the picture you see real linoleum I need to bring to Habitat for Humanity and plants I got from a friend. Trucks rock if you have an urban homestead!!
Today's nominees
@felt.buzz - because I love the way he writes and I am very grateful to him.
@coachjj - because she knows how to motivate people
@eaglespirit - because she understands gratitude
The rules:
- Write a post about something you have to be positive about today - this could be anything from being thankful for your current situation, someone being nice to you, being thankful for your friends and family, or even being thankful for the opportunity you have been given here on Steemit - just keep it positive :)
- Do this for 7 days in a row if you get nominated
- Mention three people who should do this on each day.
- Tag it with #7daypositivitychallenge and include these rules at the bottom of your post
Include a picture of something positive (related to your story if possible.
Tip: You need to put the # in front of 7daypositivitychallenge or it will not let you use the tag.
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