On Pursuing a Trade, Localism and Retirement

So, I'm back on Facebook. I started during Lent, while everyone else was taking a break from social media :) Three big reasons: the SCBWI message board has not been restored (I don't know if they'll ever will), our barbershop practices are recorded and we can return to our private FB page to review specific elements like interpretation, choreography, etc., and publishers expect you to be active on social media.  

One benefit has been reconnecting with family and friends far away, but the best part has been discovering things in my own community. I was feeling sad about not having my flag up for Fourth of July--I couldn't reach the bracket with all the cucumbers growing on our porch (and Michael was out of town)--but this nice young man, Derek Schultz, owner of Schultz Construction, offered to hang up the American flag for anyone who needed help on the private community page. I called and he came over and did me a huge favor by moving the bracket where I could reach it. It was great getting to know him--he's been in the roofing business since his teens working with his father, and now has his own company. It's so refreshing to meet young people who love their country, their family, and their work. I gave him some cucumbers; it reminded me of the old ways, where people exchanged goods and services. This reminded me how wonderful it can be for people to pursue a trade. 

Emma Slaven, a reporter for Daniel Island News, asked people about early retirement. I replied tongue-in-cheek to her query with: stay-at-home moms never retire. And was delighted to have a chance to answer her thoughtful questions. So fun to be featured in the local newspaper: Why more people are retiring early, and loving it | The Daniel Island News. 

I actually think that retirement is a strange notion; the happiest people I know are engaged in meaningful work, whether or not they are paid for it. Mothering and homemaking the most satisfying of all the work I've done, yet we never hear about it on "Career Day" in schools. I wish the focus would be on vocation instead. I really enjoyed this essay: Reflecting on C.S. Lewis’s Letter to a Housewife. 

All this brought back wonderful memories from last December, when we went to Liturgy of the Land Conference. We met many young families who left the corporate workforce to have a more family-centered economy, whether it's dairy farming, beekeeping, blacksmithing. There is no expectation of retiring because the work never ends, but in many cases, some of the grown children take over the farm or business, or pursue a different line of work more suited to their interests. Durable Trades by Rory Groves is a great resource for teenagers and it really makes one appreciate our society at the local level. There's a Catholic school in Steubenville that focuses on trade: College of St. Joseph the Worker 

I never shared my conference notes because we were busy with wedding preparations and family in town, but much of what I learned can be found in these books. Liturgy of the Land by Jason Craig and Tommy Van Horn has given us much food for thought about the why and how of the Catholic homestead. The Independent Farmstead by Shawn and Beth Dougherty relates how they were able to develop a farm that's self-sustaining. Even as suburban gardeners, we are able to incorporate some of the principles of these books into our lives. And I continue to have dreams about Bodach Books and Brews.