Yesterday, Leron and I went to an Amish produce auction. I bought 18 perennials. I can't wait to be able to plant them and make my front flowerbed look less like a dirt pit. My mother in law bought 115 quarts of strawberries. These aren't just any old strawberries. These are the most juicy, freshest, reddest, most delicious strawberries you will ever taste.
On the way back from the auction, it was a good 1.5 hour drive from Batesville, Leron was musing on the value of being Amish and living a simple life. It got me thinking a little. For 2 weeks after the move we were without internet and landline phone service. It drove me crazy being so disconnected. We haven't yet installed any type of television service (we don't plan to either). Now we are far from Amish for several reasons like the computer I am currently typing on or the radio I am listening to or the electric lights I am using in my house or the electric stove I used to turn those delicious strawberries into jam this morning. I came to the conclusion that while they are most definitely a dedicated and hardworking people, I don't think you have to be Amish and completely divested of modern conveniences to be dedicated and hardworking.
Technology is a tricky thing. It is first introduced as a way to make our lives more efficient, like the telephone allowing communication faster than telegram or letters, but then it becomes something we can't live without. How many of you have handwritten a letter recently? Now the telephone has morphed into cell phones, texting, smartphones and being 100% available all the time. Becoming this dependent on technology makes us less dependent on ourselves and those around us.
We no longer need to entertain ourselves because we have television, internet, movies, dvds, and the radio to help us out. I like to think back to a time when people learned music and played instruments to entertain themselves. The episodes of The Andy Griffith Show with the Darlings are some of my favorites for the amazing pure music they create. It wasn't about having a perfect voice or amazing fingering technique. It was about creating a beautiful sound.
Can you imagine a world without music or dancing or art? With all of this distraction caused by technology, I am seeing less and less attention given to these wonderful things. Music and art was a large part of my life growing up. I owe a huge thank you to my parents for taking me to music lessons, buying instruments and music books and listening for hours as I banged on the piano, blew on the flute or belted out a tune before I got the melody down. I am sure it was less than pleasant at times.
I hope my girls enjoy music as much as I do. We have dance parties all the time and I have them sing to me in the car when we are running errands. If we have to disconnect from technology to allow for time to enjoy music, we will do it. That is one huge benefit I am looking forward to living in the country. We do not have to pretend to get away from it all. We truly can get away from it all, disconnect, relax, listen to the corn grow while sitting on the front porch and "play some back home come on music that comes from the heart, play something with lots of feeling cause thats where music has to start."
God Bless!
Hannah
The Farmer's Wife
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