When my husband and I were dating, we spent a lot of time tagging along with his oldest brother. This produced the most interesting situations. Our activities included visiting horses in the middle of the night, climbing ridiculously tall towers to adjust speakers for a local amphitheater, and learning how NOT to drive on freshly graveled roads. Between all our adventures, we had to take time out to eat. It worked out great when hunger struck near our parent’s or grandparents’ house. But one fateful night, we were far from home. Dah, dah, done…
Finding a Free Meal
My husband’s brother only had enough money for his food. It was nearing midnight but being in a college town, plenty of restaurants were still open. I bet some of those places serve bread after you are seated. Free bread for the win! We were seated. The bread didn’t come. 🙁 My brother-in-law’s food came with crackers. We now embraced the challenge before us. Create a free “meal” with what is available to us. Now, to be fair, I think we technically had a third meal earlier in the day. This was more of an impromptu teenage snack fest.
Enjoying Our Free Meal
We nibbled on the crackers and drank our complimentary cups of water. Ahhh, the first course. A packet of lemon juice and a few sugars later, we had lemonade. I considered having the waiter heat my water then adding ketchup for a hearty second course of tomato soup. I’m not sure if my date stopped me, or I came to my senses, but that didn’t happen. But we did half a delicious mint for dessert!
Perspective
Now, I’m not suggesting anyone go out and bum from restaurants. I’m not even proclaiming there is such a thing as a free meal. After all, my brother-in-law paid for his food. We just pilfered from his plate. But there is something to take home from this…Unfortunately, that thing isn’t bread! 😉 Maybe I need to let go of a little bitterness there. Lol. I think the story here is we turned a stinky situation into a fun one. We could have sat there angrily watching people eat their pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches. But we saw an opportunity to make a great memory.
The Best Memories are Made When We Have the Least
It’s funny how some of the best memories come from times when we have the least. It was always so special when we got to take our little girls out to eat. Each time holds a different memory because we couldn’t afford to do it very often. I can even pin down specific times when I was able to order a soft drink. This was an extra special treat! To this day, I automatically order water. I have to remind myself we can pay a couple more dollars for something else now. Not having a lot made everything we DID have more meaningful.
Choose Joy
Right now, you may see yourself as much better off than you used to be. or, you may be wondering if you will ever be able to order a cola or even go out for a burger at all. Either way, I get you! I’ve been there. In both cases, you can choose joy. You can nibble a cracker and giggle at your friend’s silly antics. You have a friend! You can sip on a lousy, over-chlorinated cup of public water while looking out your window. You have water, you have a window, you have a roof over your head. Once we grasp the concept of “I have, ” instead of “I don’t have,” we are free to indulge in our blessings.
Applying it all to Life
Applying this to making the kind of home you want takes it to a whole new level. You have talent. You have skills. You have dreams within your reach with a little time and work. Here’s something they never taught us in school. No-one has everything handed to them. Somewhere along the line, someone took initiative. Someone got creative. Someone overcame some kind of something to get where they are. You will do the same. All our dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them!
Be sure to bookmark this page for more inspirational stories from my life. See my home project ideas on the weekly Sawdust and Cornbread YouTube Post. Until next time.
~Lora Lea
