The More Things Change, The More They Stay the Same

This weekend, we visited my grandparents' house.  They live out in the country in central Nebraska, on an acre of land sandwiched between corn fields and farms.  My grandparents have lived in the same house, which my grandfather built, for 35 years.  They are practical and frugal, and they emphasize simple living and time in nature.  I love to spend time at their house - it's very peaceful and relaxing.  

That's a little background to help you understand why I find it so funny when their lifestyle, which has been the same for decades, coincides with modern trends.  My favorite example is trucker hats.  My grandpa has a better collection of these bad boys than Ashton Kutcher.  Grandpa wears them because they provide sun shade and good ventilation.  When I was a teenager, I borrowed some of his hats so that I could look as awesome as my favorite celebrities.    

Here are four ways my grandparents are inadvertently trendsetting now:

1.  Food - My grandparents grow most of their produce in their enormous garden.  This means that much of the food we eat at their house is fresh, locally grown, sustainable, organic, and seasonal.  My grandma makes all breads, pasta, and dessert from scratch.  We often have homemade ice cream and homemade donuts.  Nothing comes from a box; nothing contains preservatives; everything is a real food.  She should open a restaurant and charge $50 a plate for her wholesome, farm to fork meals.  (It should be acknowledged that the side salad sometimes consists mostly of macaroni and mayo, but this article says that's consistent with the real foods movement.)

2.  Eco friendly - My grandparents don't get a regular trash pick-up out in the country, so they find a way to reuse, recycle, or compost much of their trash.  Whatever's left over gets burned right on their property rather than a trash truck driving out to pick it up.  My Grandma is a MASTER at saving and re-using things.  Their carbon footprint is tiny.

3.  Melissa and Doug - G & G have a box of toys saved from when my mom was a kid.  These toys are the same type of thing you would now pay top dollar for at urban boutiques for children: handmade wooden blocks that have letters and numbers painted on the side; toys that encourage pretend play (in this case, old kitchen utensils, old jewelry for dress up, etc.); puzzles that teach fine motor skills; and handcrafted wooden toy trains.  

4.  Unplugged - It seems to be trendy to find a place to escape from the constant intrusion of electronic distractions.  My grandparents have no Internet access and very limited TV access, which is generally only turned on for local news, weather emergencies, and Husker football games.  For entertainment, we walk along the gravel road, listen to birds sing, stop and smell the flowers (literally), and after dark, watch fireflies.  Again, they should charge money for people to access this unbelievably simple, relaxing, present-in-the-moment lifestyle.

I have to admit that I'm a little bit relieved to be back to Facebook and Golden Grahams after our stay in Gothenburg, but I do love my time with my grandparents, and I love how they march to the beat of their own drum.  (And sometimes it's such a great drum that society follows along, at least for a little while.)