I Don't Want What Everyone Else Has

The 3,000 sq.ft. house in trendy CookieCutter Villiage, with 2.4 kids, a minivan....nope, no thanks.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I can't help but feel grateful for all of life's blessings that surround me. Lots of folks may disagree and say I'm missing out on a lot - but my my life feels complete to me, so either I'm living in blissful ignorance or I'm truly content with my life choices. I vote for contentedness.

When we moved here, we specifically stayed away from the "development" neighborhoods. What was sacrificed in square footage, is more than made up for by our little two acre patch of earth on a pond that we call home. It's not for everyone, I can see the appeal of those super-sized homes that are all shiny and new with their builder-incentive upgrades, but this just suits us.

Having children happens to not suit us. It's really not much different. We all have our own personal preferences that may or may not be the same as the person sitting next to us. There are an infinite number of differences we may have - religion we practice, music we listen to, movies we watch, books we read, cars we drive, clothes we wear, food we eat...the list goes on and on. I don't believe my choices are right for anyone other than me.

My experiences and choices make me distinctly different from anyone else in the world. If I were surrounded by a group of people who believed everything I believe and made the same exact decisions in life that I make I think I'd get bored. In a society where we are bombarded with messages telling us how we all need to have this handbag or those shoes or...or that heterosexual married lives are not complete without the inclusion of children...or...or...or...it can be difficult to accept those who fall outside the mold.

The fact is, some people are meant to be parents and some are not. And, I personally don't believe that parenthood is reserved only for married heterosexual couples. Anyone who has the calling in their heart to raise a child should be able to do so. If more kids came out of loving homes where they were truly wanted, maybe we'd have a few less hurt people walking around in the world.

So, I celebrate your blessings - no matter how different they might be from my own - as I give thanks for the blessings in my life.