The Outside World Doesn't Really Affect Me...

Shelle Edit:  I spent a little time on Heather's blog trying to get to know her.  The one thing I gathered is that she is smart.  She is smart about how she write, which is well, and she is smart about what she writes.  You'll see as you read this post... but then go and visit her blog, see if you think the same as me!

There aren't many outside influences that affect my life. I don't get into crazy political debates nor do I talk much about what is going on in the world these days. I don't pay any mind to global warming debates, and I don't read up on my favorite celebrity and what he or she happens to have been seen doing. I don't notice much from the outside world, as the outside world doesn't notice much about my world. I live in a small town in southwest Oklahoma. We buy our meat from the local butcher who gets his meat from the local cattle rancher. Our milk comes from a local dairy that grazes their cattle on local land. I know the Mayor and the Police Chief, and they both know me. We have a local vegetable garden where we can go pick up fruits and veggies and we sometimes venture on out to the big city, population 100,000, to get us some clothes. Like I said, the outside world doesn't really affect me.

At least it didn't used to. Until very recently the outside world had very limited affects on our small community. Of course, our produce has been a big part of our revenue, but we weren't really hurting. Some 50 percent of our families worked on farms, and the rest of us went into the city to work. We picked up jobs as bankers, contractors, nurses, and teachers. We have a couple doctors and some lawyers, and we have a few people who do this and that. The point is, we went to the city, made our money and brought it back into our community. Then the recession finally hit us. It didn't hit us slowly. We didn't have time to adjust or get ready. It came out of nowhere. Suddenly, I had to worry about losing a job I never thought to worry about. My boyfriend went into panic mode and wouldn't spend any money on anything. We didn't go into the city unless we HAD to. He got a local job and started carpooling to work. If his carpool buddy was sick or out of town, he walked to work.

I started getting frustrated. I just wanted to go out to dinner. Take me to McDonalds for Christ's sake! Anywhere, just get me out of the house. So he did. He put me on the back of a fourwheeler and shuttled my unhappy rear end out to the big pond down the road, set out a blanket and pulled out some PBnJ sandwiches. He poured wine into a plastic cup and told me he loved me more now than he ever had and that he was sorry he was being this way. I didn't care anymore. The world stopped affecting me again at that very moment. The economy mattered no more. I realised in that very moment that I do not need dinner at Red Lobster or nice pretty clothes. I only needed him, and he only needed me.

We go out more now, no more pond picnics, but I will never forget what this experience taught me. I found my silver lining and I'll be holding on to him for the rest of my life.

Heather