July/August 1999
Articles on the theme "Lifestyles"
A Look Back
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
Reflections on lifestyles when the
writer was a child and how they contrast with today's.
Design Your Own Lifestyle
by Edwina H. Holloway
How to customize your unique lifestyle
to fit your authentic self.
The Spirit of Caring
by Lisa Raphael
The spiritual component of lifestyle.
Comments on Managed Care vs. true caring.
Is Lifestyle Predictable?
by Magzcha Westerman
How numerologically to find the number
that represents your Life Lesson and how that number relates to lifestyle.
The Yogic Lifestyle
by Charlotte Rudeau and Piers Anthony
How yoga can help one achieve a better
lifestyle.
Exploring Your Style of Life
by Elizabeth Fenton and Renée Gillombardo
Developing a lifestyle. How one views
oneself and the world around one. Passion and the authentic self.
A Lifestyle of Love
by Rev. Pat Cross
Creating a lifestyle that is an expression
of the spirit of God within us.
Life's Stylus
by Bob Gonzalez
The connection between 'stylus,' style
and lifestyle. Our unique mark on life. Purpose and universal love.
The Victimization Lifestyle
by Cydné Battreall
What causes the victim mindset and
how to change it.
A Lifestyle of Grace
by Cheryl Smeed
Of going with the flow to achieve a
positive lifestyle.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q & A
by Karen L. Mutter D.O.
Of cholesterol and various approaches
to lowering cholesterol levels.
2000 and Beyond!
by David Findlay/ Werner Huemer & Micah
Rubenstein
What is . . . Astrology?
by JoAnne Gregory
Some notes on the history of astrology
and some of the people who have used astrology. What the Sun signs, the
Moon and the planets tell us.
Mineral Kingdom
by Judy Power
Featured stones for July and August:
Zincite and Kyanite.
A Look Back
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
How our lifestyles have changed! I am thinking of my grandmother and grandfather's lifestyle when I was but a small child. They owned a dairy and a huge tobacco farm. We loved the farm where we could ride the big work horses. Our legs barely reached across their broad backs but we felt safe as grandfather led the horses around the farm.
The cozy atmosphere inside beckoned to us, especially when everyone gathered around the organ in the parlor as grandmother furiously pumped the pedals, pulling out this stop and pushing in that knob. Her effort resounded with sweet music such as "Give me that old-time religion." We loved joining in and singing to our heart's content, especially when my uncles would join in with their home-made guitars.
Other times we would listen to the radio through earphones. There were several sets of earphones so each member of the family could enjoy music, news or stories like "Amos and Andy." We had cars but there was no TV in those days. My uncles ordered kits from Sears & Robuck and built the radios, earphones and guitars.
I'll never forget the old crank phone which hung on the kitchen wall; always on a party line. Everyone on the line listened in and gave comments. I can hear grandmother now, "Matilda, is your phone number two longs and one short or one long and one short?"
I think I learned the value of the silence as I would sink into the feather bed, feeling so cuddled and peaceful, like floating on a cloud where I could dream and feel part of a far distant land. It was then I learned why my grandfather at times would turn off his hearing aid. I believe it was his way of retreating into his own private world. Perhaps this was what contributed most to his serene nature. He was the quiet influence in my young life; a silent patriarch; so different from my grandmother's fiery temper. Perhaps this is what made them perfect partners; sweethearts all their lives. Their temperaments complimented each other.
One of their greatest amenities was the pump in the kitchen that gave crystal clear spring water. One had to prime it by pouring water down the pipe. A dipper hung on the wall next to the pump. If you were thirsty, you just pumped a dipperfull.
Though we were allowed to clean, wash the dishes and make the beds, grandmother trusted no one but herself to take care of the milk separators. She knew the value of germ-free equipment. After separating the cream from the milk, she would place the huge bowl on the back of the warming oven to wait for the milk to clabber. Today we call it yogurt. From this she made the cottage cheese, butter and buttermilk.
We were allowed to churn the cream with an odd-looking instrument called a dash. It consisted of a rod with a cross attached to the bottom which she checked often by pulling it to the surface to see how much butter was clinging to it. There was a quiet peace in sitting there, churning and reveling in thoughts of the treats of fresh-baked cornbread and butter that awaited us.
What lingers most about the tobacco farm were those tobacco worms that had to be removed before they devoured the crop. They looked like fat short green snakes with a million legs. A building out back was a temporary residence for the hired hands who came each season to tend the tobacco and take it to market.
On Saturday evening we would all go into town where my grandparents kept an account which was paid when the crops were harvested. We were treated to coca-colas and each of us could select one new dress per season. No pants. Girls must look like ladies.
How different lifestyles are today. Not only every family but almost every child of driving age has his own car and most families have more than one computer. My daughter tells me that a computer is now a must for a two or three-year-old.
When one contemplates the possibility of a Y2K disaster, one has to wonder how we could cope with having to return to the lifestyle of our grandparents. If we could not turn on a switch to heat and cool our homes, or pick up the phone and order supplies, or get into our cars and go anywhere we choose, or use our computers, how would we cope?
If we had no microwave oven, no freezer or refrigerator and were forced to cook on a wood stove, as did our ancestors, heat our houses with nothing but a fireplace . . . and, if our cars did not function, how would we get supplies? If we had no transportation, even if our banks were still operating, with no car, how would we have access to our bank accounts? And what about garbage collection?
With no automobiles, no planes and no trucks to haul away the garbage and replenish our supply of necessities, how will we survive? Even if our retirement and other checks do arrive, one has to ask, "How will we get them cashed?" Our lifestyle could be so drastically changed that we would wonder how our ancestors were able to do all the things they did with such limited resources. We may better understand as we recall the saying, "You do not miss what you have never had." This defines why they coped so well. But having had it all, how might it fit our future lifestyle?
Dr. Audrey Craft Davis lives with her husband in Oldsmar, FL. Author of "Metaphysical Techniques That Really Work". She holds workshops and seminars, and has appeared on TV. Also available for counseling. (813) 891-0644.
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