I think that this time during my young life helped me to construct character, creativity, and molded me into a more well-rounded as well as accepting person. Beyond that, it taught me just how little a person actually needs to become happy, and that it is often more about the location you are and people you are with than how much money you are making or spending that is truly essential. Don't get me wrong, money can go a long distance to helping a person be happy, but just having it does not always equate to contentment. There are a few other lessons I picked up from dad and mom that showed me that money isn't everything and that served me well when i moved into adulthood.
It Doesn't Have to be A new comer to be Good
My mom was the queen of garage sales and resale shops and my father was a true "American picker". While as a child these characteristics were sometimes a bit embarrassing, they formed a deep rooted belief in me that not all things need to be new to be good. From books and clothing to furniture and cars my parents showed me that used things in many cases are good things, and what is one person's junk can indeed be someone else's treasure.
Outdoor Activities Can be Fun and Cheap
A number of best memories I have as a child growing up were the ones that took place in nature. Everything from canoeing, caving and camping with my father, to hiking in the hills of Indiana with my personal mom, taught me that outdoor activities can be a lot of fun but don't have to cost much money.
While I realize that those in urban environments might possibly not have such opportunities easily available to them, there is still lots of room for inexpensive fun in a bustling cityscape. When my father moved to the city, we had just as a lot fun, and the memories of throwing the baseball, tossing the Frisbee or riding bikes around our neighborhood are simply as solid as those of crawling through caves or even braving whitewater rapids.
It's Amazing What You Can perform Without
My mother and I lived in an old schoolhouse inside a remote area of rural Indiana when I was developing up. We had no central air during the summer time, and since we were very poor, in the winter we'd section off half the house and heat it having a wood burning stove.
At dad's house we had no indoor plumbing for quite some time (since he was building his own home by hand) which designed for interesting accommodations; and we also heated our living quarters having a woodstove.
Both parents had a television, but we were limited by five channels -- six on a good day whenever we were picking up an extra strong signal!
You would think such conditions might have made for a terrible childhood, but just the opposite actually. I was quite happy. While they were tough occasions, they were good times, and such hardships built character and made me appreciate amenities and conveniences a lot more as I grew older.
It's Not How Much Spent but With Whom You Spend It
My family didn't venture out to fancy dinners or go on long vacations. All of us didn't have new cars or nice homes. I used hand-me-down clothes from my friends, and I didn't possess the latest and greatest toys.
All this didn't matter although. I had great times playing with my friends within the creek and hills of our back woods or having mom take us towards the state park near our home. Each Sunday my mom and I'd go eat dinner at my grandparents' house where we'd play family card games afterward. Such experiences made me understand that it didn't, and still doesn't take a lot to create me happy. And as I look back now, I realize that it's not how much money we spent doing things, but the experiences we had and also the people we shared those experiences with that were most significant.
Spending money doesn't necessarily equate to having a great time. I know people that spend much more money than I do now when you go to sporting events, buying new cars, and eating fancy meals, but they aren't any happier than my family is whenever we spend quality time (and much less money) together viewing a movie, eating dinner at home, or just going for a nice long walk together.