A Breath of Fresh Air

I let the kids play on the playground at the Y after I was done working out today. I wanted to take advantage of the sunny skies and mid-60s temperatures. We were soon joined by another mom and her two boys. After an altercation between Jacob and her youngest, we sat in an akward silence. Wanting to ease the tension I jumped in with a the most impersonal of topics- the weather. "This weather sure is nice after last month." Conversations on weather, don't usually bring about stimulating conversation, but after the month of rain we had in October, we are all excited to stop contruction of the arks we were building in our backyards and relish in the warmth of the sun. After we each commented on the nice weather we were having, and how last month felt like Seattle, our topic merged into places we had lived and the weather there. My side of this part was relatively short. Let's see...um... Cleveland and um...Cleveland. Oh yeah, I did spend a few years in the cold deserts of Utah and Idaho. She commented they had lived in New Zealand and moved back at the end of the winter just in time for winter to start here. Can you imagine a WHOLE year without summer? I shudder at such a depressing thought. Before long we were talking about what brought us to this area. Turns out her husband is an engineer for Conoco Phillips. As the conversation continued to develop I learned a lot about her. They don't plan on living the "normal" ratrace life for long. They hope that after a few more years of work and major saving, they can sell their house and move to the mountains of NC. I found this out after I told her that even though I complain about the cold, I love the 4 seasons and couldn't imagine living somewhere without them. She told me that she likes NC because it has the 4 seasons with milder temperatures year round without the extreme heat or extreme cold. Later in the conversation I learned that when move, they want to build a modest home made out of natural materials. The conservationist hidden somewhere within me started to do cartwheels and cheering at this. They plan to do this without going into debt. They want to be able to "work" for fun, doing something they enjoy, without worrying about the size of the paycheck. She said the best part would be no more long work weeks at the office. They want to hike the mountains with her boys and explore nature. I assume this means they will homeschool their boys to allow them greater flexibility or else they might as well stay in the ratrace.
I found the entire conversation just as refreshing as our beautiful weather today. It was nice to hear someone talk about dreams that included a modest home, more time with her family, physical activity, and learning about and protecting nature. Sounds a lot like the things the scriptures teach us are most important in life. Her dreams did not include a big promotion for her husband so they could buy big screen TVs, I-phones, gameboys, laptops for each family member, more CDs and DVDs than they could ever possibly use. She never once mentioned throwing elaborate B-day parties for her sons who are young enough that they probably could care less either way. She wasn't dying to buy the latest coach bag and designer clothes. I imagine if you're living in the mountains, you will not be going out to eat several times a week. And judging by her healthy snacks she was feeding her boys, she probably doesn't like food like that anyway. Again, she looks like they are living the Word of Wisdom quite well. (Someone should send the missionaries to them)
She gave me a lot to think about while I drove home and cleaned up. What are my ultimate goals in this life? Am I putting emphasis on important things, or am I teaching my kids the wrong priorities in life? How did we as an entire society get so caught up in the ratrace. When did the husbands with the most hours worked each week become a badge of honor? Why do we look up to and admire people with all kids of "stuff" but who treat people especially family horribly? Why do we want want want without any care or second thought as to the effects our wants place on the environment? Why does this random stranger seem to be living the gospel better than I am? Although I do not having any plans to move to the mountains and have Jared quit his job, I hope that I have learned something from this chance encounter. I hope that I can concentrate on what really matters and stop getting so caught up in the ratrace. I hope I can remember for a long time the things a stranger at the park taught me today.