“My grandmother came from a farm background. She was born in the 1880’s when horse and buggy was the only method of transportation. Shopping was a major undertaking that took the whole day. She was forced to plan ahead because she just didn’t have the time to pick up a few things for supper.”   This is a quote from Dennis’ comment to A Letter To My Grandma.  It ties in well with my last post What Would Grandma Use To Get Around?

We live in an extraordinarily mobile society.  Although I currently stay home full-time with my kids, I rarely ever stay home.  I feel like I am in a perpetual state of motion.  My ability to be mobile impacts what I try to accomplish in a given day.  I live in a mindset of always trying to get the next thing done.  Rushing around from one thing to another creates an underlying feeling of discontentment in my life.  I never allow myself to settle emotionally or physically.  I consume my moments just like I consume my stuff.  Nothing satisfies when I live this way. 

What Would Grandma Try To Get Done?  I envy Grandma because she seemed to know the limits of her life.  She knew what each day required of her.  Her life had boundaries and structure.  Grandma’s week had a rhythm.  Dennis’ comment went on to describe his Grandma’s weekly rhythm as follows:

Monday: wash
Tuesday: iron
Wednesday: gardening
Thursday: sewing
Friday: baking
Saturday: shopping
Sunday: church

What would it feel like to have a daily, weekly, monthly rhythm?  What if I just focused on doing the basics instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off?  Grandma knew exactly what that looked like and it wasn’t pretty!  What would I be giving up?  What would I gain? 

Learning to live like my Grandma is not just about sustainably and simplicity.  It is about having a rhythm to my days - not a longer to do list.  My frantic pace makes me feel disconnected from the details of my own life.  I am no good for myself and no good for others when I live this way.  I want to know what I am doing and why I am doing it. 

What Would Grandma Try To Get Done?  Did your Grandma have a rhythm?  Did it make her life more simple or more complicated?  I can get the basics done a lot more quickly than Grandma.  I should have time left over, but I cram a lot of unecessary activities into my day.  What if I had a rhythm that just covered the basics?  I wonder if it would open up space for the things I truly enjoy.