Achieving a Peaceful Existence
Work-from-home to realize your potential for happiness.
Since going full-time at working from home in 2013, we have created our own version of multi-tasking. My woodworking has melded with our personal life to the point that we can no longer separate them. I answer personal messages at the same time I write Etsy orders on my clipboard. I see what my Facebook friends are up to while I post “Sneak Peeks” of my work on my business page. I cut the yard as I wait for glue to dry or finish to cure.
A Peaceful Existence
We don’t need to go out much anymore. The travel and partying days of the 80s and 90s are behind us. Our memories are fairly vivid and sufficient to take us through our latter days.
The craft show circuits we did allowed us to see the USA and visit places we had only read about. Each day, we talked with hundreds of people as we worked 12 to 14 hour days at shows, fairs and theme parks. We met wonderful people who flavored our world and are still with us, if only in our memories.
Julie and I both love food. Since we could not cook for ourselves, we ate in fabulous (and awful) restaurants for 8 or 9 months per year. One particular Chinese restaurant, The Happy Inn, in Fremont, Nebraska, was right across from the mall where we were working and had some excellent chefs, directly from the Sichuan region of China. They were used to cooking for the toned-down Nebraska palate, so they loved to see us as we walked in at 9:30 at night wanting something hot and spicy, their specialty. When our dishes came out from their kitchen, the cooks would gather in the kitchen doorway to see our reaction to their culinary creations. They never disappointed us and our eyes watered with every bite.
Sampling the tastes of America, gave us inspiration to try recipes in our own kitchen while we were home during our 3 or 4 month hiatus. Stand-out dishes are with us still.
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Going Out into the World
We now tend to condense our excursions into the world into “errand runs”, getting everything that needs to be done while we are out. We try to plan these around any appointments or social calls we might have.
Our grocery shopping list is occasionally peppered with business items. Apart from the woods and hardware I use, I pick up incidental items for business use only at our local grocery stores. I do not use these in quantities that would behoove me to buy in bulk.
wax paper for shipment wrapping
super glue “gel” (Loctite) for setting screw eyes in my keychains
office supplies
cleaning supplies
batteries
filters
These items intermingle with our toothpaste and chicken wings. I separate them later by checking them off on the receipt in Sharpie and adding them to my “expenses” spreadsheet (below) on the computer. Then, I tuck the receipt away in a file cabinet (newest front), should any bored Fed take interest in such an enterprise as ours and need proof.
The only time that business and home life is truly separate is on my bookkeeping spreadsheets, and that is only because that is what Uncle Sam wants me to do. These days, most transactions are digital, which means most of my business receipts are digital as well. They are easily retrievable if needed. But spreadsheets are indispensable at tax time.
Remember that having an in-home office and/or workshop may entitle you to deduct portions of your household expenses (utilities, improvements, upkeep, insurance, etc.). So keep these numbers handy at tax time, too.
Peace is Not for Everyone
Many people claim to seek a peaceful existence, but after a few days of it, they go stir crazy quite quickly. Some personalities need action and excitement daily and would get bored very quickly with our manner of life. That is fine and natural, especially for younger people who need the experiences to test their mettle and find their limits.
Many outside of our family of friends still don’t “get”us. We do not fit in any of their boxes. We are not reclusive, antisocial hermits who shun public exposure. Rather, we are content with ourselves, honest with our limitations and self-entertaining. But, we are still comfortable out with family and friends or the “general public.
Time and Peace
While you are in your realm without worldly distractions, there is only “white noise” outside your perimeter. You know that stuff is going on out there. The traffic on your former country lane starts sounding like a LaGuardia landing strip. Mail and packages come and go. Neighbors, family or friends grace you with a visit. This is our peace.
I listen to enough news to stay relevant, yet most of the time I am deep inside my work with a Jimmy Buffett, Little Feat or Grateful Dead shuffle.
Working from home unites the two worlds of commerce and leisure. You adjust the balance by how you split the time between them. For you, there may be other worlds that may collide, school, medical and/or financial. But, your peace is obtainable.
Who’s in Charge?
Julie and I fit together. We grok, and have been a team for 42 years now.
Our most frequent disputes:
Since neither of us want it, the battle for the remote is reversed, with the winner being the one without the buttony thing.
What to watch. We have similar tastes, but when faced with streaming, the choices are limitless and our brains go blank, like they used to when we were at the video rental store.
What’s for supper? No one wants to be the “Decider” on the supper tip. We keep a fairly stocked pantry and choices can take a minute. Once resolved, this leaves the discussion on who is cooking. I am of the belief that one cook is sufficient. Julie is less structured. Sometimes we’ll do a “kitchen ballet” and collaborate on a chicken salad or pot of chili.
Julie is the shopper. She is brilliant at keeping us in groceries and other life needs. I don’t like shopping and just as soon stay home if I am not needed to heft & tote. In each of these roles we both excel.
Phone calls… Neither of us are phone people. I only bought our first cell phone 3 years ago. We love to hear from family and friends, but if your number is not recognized by our phone, you will likely get sent to voicemail. If you are not a scammer, leave us a message and we’ll get back to you. Julie is scared of our cell phone.
DustyNewt World ~ A current map of where I have shipped my woodstuffs. See if your town is represented.
If you are enjoying what you see… I like it hot and black. 😉
