The Similarities of Life in the Philippines and Living Amish
It's my day off and I'm in awe as I sit on my couch overlooking the lake. Grand Lake. What a peaceful scene to gaze at on a sunny day. The beauty in front of me never ceases to amaze me, even after five years of living here.
The sun glistens on the waves, softly lapping up against the embankment. The ducks, geese, and pelicans all bathe in the sun with not a worry in the world. I’m a little envious. They have the whole world at their beck and call without having the burden of mortgage payments, utilities, or groceries to buy and yet all their needs are met.
My mind wanders to the other side of the world as I enjoy the gentle pace of today. Watching the birds on the lake makes me think about the simple life my son is living in the Philippines as a newlywed.
My son’s way of living in the Philippines is simple and so much healthier. They live on meals created with freshly caught seafood, fresh vegetables, and rice. It’s a monumental shift away from the mainstream American diet of fast food and preservatives. In the three months since my son arrived in the Philippines, he's lost 6 inches around his waist. He also has a healthy color on his face. I cannot believe the difference!
In the Philippines, life flows at a much slower pace. They’re not rushing off to work and stressing about not having enough money for a house and car payments. They spend most of their time outdoors. They have no running water, no washers and dryers, so laundry is done by hand and hung up to dry.
Hearing about my son’s life in the Philippines reminds me of the way I was raised as a little Amish girl. We too carried in every drop of water we used, washed our clothes in a rub-a-dub-dub fashion and hung them out in the fresh air to dry. We also grew a lot of our own food, spent a lot of our time outdoors, and lived very simply.
I have to admit that my life today is a lot more stressful. Living as a single woman with a one-income household has been a challenge. Some days I feel like I'm working more than living and it's not the way God intended for us to live. And yet, I can be grateful for good health, the peaceful atmosphere in my home, the good news from my sons as they live their own lives, and the beautiful scene in front of me.
Today it feels great to take a deep breath and smell the roses so to speak. To look across the lake and watch the birds. To reflect on everything that I have to be grateful for. I feel at peace in my little world. I am blessed!
Now I have a fun question for you. If you could pick between living in the Philippines or living Amish, which one would you choose?