Foundations

I was journaling this morning in the book "Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration" by Meera Lee Patel and I found myself thinking of a time when I did something hard that really paid off. 

Anne, Jan, and Jenny on Graduation Day 1993

That hard thing would be going back to college.  Particularly for my graduate degree in Library Science.  My family was able to help me out financially for my undergrad degree, but not for grad school.  At this time I was a single mother of a second grader. We moved to my grad school in mid January 1992 and I was lucky enough that an Aunt (Louise Knapp) was willing to take me and my daughter in while we looked for housing. 

The good grades from my undergraduate degree met with the plan to teach out and close the library school. Which meant I got full funding for tuition/fees.  You are limited to two financial aid disbursements in a calendar year.  By starting in January I was able to go take a summer semester and then a traditional fall and spring semester pairing.  By taking a large load of credits I was able to graduate in the spring.

I was on every financial/food assistance program I was eligible for.  I worked a part time job and I shared an apartment with one of the funniest, kindest, smartest women I've known.  Anne you know who you are.  :)  I have been very lucky to meet and be friends with an amazing circle of kind women.   We tried to take some of the same classes and shared books so we both didn't have to buy them. We ate a lot of beans and for entertainment we rented vhs movies (usually action) and had dinner.

While I was living this, I had the best time. I didn't think it was hard, it was just the way things were.  I worked hard and did what was necessary.  My goal was to be able to put a roof over my daughter's head and food on our table without any other assistance. 

Looking back I can see it was hard and that I/we struggled.  But I also know that this foundation work paid off.  It took time and more work, finding jobs, moving, scraping by. But in not too many years (less than 5) I was able to provide for my family and  now 25 years after graduation I have my financial ducks in somewhat of a row.  There will always be times when they run amok and I don't expect smooth sailing.  But I am oh so grateful to be at this point and understand and appreciate where I came from. 

Arlene and Jenny on our way to Nome, Arlene is the amazing friend I met working on my undergrad degree.

I want to thank that younger me for setting things up for this older me.  I am seriously comforted by, and grateful for the retirement account, health insurance, solid tenured job, colleagues who are smart and funny, a job that I enjoy much of the time, and the financial resources to live well.  I'm not rich, but I sure feel rich in family, friends, and activities. I get to travel, work with students, and work in an atmosphere of ongoing and perpetual learning.   

So what have I learned? That if you lay your foundations you're older self will be oh, so grateful.  With that in mind, I went and did yoga for the first time in months. 

I am concerned for my future self's health.  This concern is not as immediate or omnipresent as putting a roof over a child's head.  However, it is perhaps as important.  I need to lay foundations. RIGHT NOW. I'd like to live to 120 and still be walking and talking and taking care of myself. 

Hey, one has to have a goal, right?

Somehow, I must keep in mind that every thing I do health wise will have an impact on future me.   Maybe by reliving some of what I did to get that degree will help move my health goals forward.

One can only hope.

-- Jenny

Oh, and do the work.

P.S. Life as we all know doesn't play fair, and I know I'm just as eligible for crazy illness as the next woman. If you are one of those women to whom life has dealt a difficult illness, I'm sorry.  You and your efforts are not to blame for what you are dealing with.  I know this.  And would never blame anyone past or or present for where they are now.   For me, this is about seizing the now and wringing from it as much amelioration for my future as possible. 

What I've learned by reading 01

When I was young I was obsessed with reading. I guess not much has changed. What has changed is the scope of available reading material.  One of the magazines to which my family subscribed was the ubiquitous Readers Digest.  I loved that magazine. I loved the funny stories, the vocabulary tests, the look and feel of the paper.  One day I read an article titled "Lessons from Aunt Grace" by Nardi Reeder Campion.  I still have that article though its color is yellowing.

Funny how memory tricks us. I thought I read it while still in Junior High, but after searching high and low via the library's databases and the internet I could not find a full citation.  The internet is clogged with references to the same article reprinted in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Woman to Woman." http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/31890/48-lessons-from-aunt-grace.  Eventually I got into my filing cabinet and located the article. July 1984.  Well that's a surprise.  I was married and had a six month old daughter when I read this article.

This article was the first to introduce me to the idea that sometimes you have to "do something I don't want to do that needs doing." In 1991 I graduated with my bachelors degree from Idaho State University.  In my graduating class was my sister Sarah Robin and my best friend Arlene. In the audience was my daughter Shanna, sister Nanette, my aunt Myrna and my grandmother Marj.  I'm still so happy we were all able to be there.  On the stand was the best graduation speaker I've ever heard.  His name was Roger Williams.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Williams_(pianist)

He sat at a piano and played something then talked, then played, then talked.  The gist of his talk was about doing what was necessary to succeed.  How those who truly succeed are willing to do the things such as practicing scales in order to be really good.  He was very good.  I'll never forget, though clearly the memory has blurred. I used to be able to quote from his talk.  It was very Aunt Grace.  Do the work, be grateful, exercise both brain and body, and take care of yourself.

I recently listened to a book using the fabulous Audible titled "Take the Stairs" by Rory Vaden. It is a whole book about the idea of self discipline. Though it embroidered on the idea by adding the many concepts, one of which is that of timing and seasons. There are a lot of seasons in ones life and different pursuits are better done in the appropriate season. You are the one who gets to decide which pursuit fits which season.  Tthe book as a whole gets a bit tired from his references to his success and web site.  Still there was enough really good stuff that I am going to reread it.  I like that he really hammers the idea that we can't just sit around thinking positive thoughts and expect to get results.  That results require action of some kind.

So why am I writing this? Somehow people think that I'm lucky, and I won't deny that I feel lucky, but when you look at things, really look, much of my luck is actually work, hard work, work I don't want to do but do anyway because I want the results.  If I want a clean house then *I* have to clean it.  If I want to know how a camera works and be a better photographer, then I have to do the work to learn this too. And work definitely has its rewards.

Do yourself a favor and read "Lessons from Aunt Grace". "Chicken Soup for the Soul" has posted it online at: http://www.chickensoup.com/book-story/31890/48-lessons-from-aunt-grace  It has more than just self discipline, it really is a recipe for living a more happy, fulfilled and enjoyable life.