5 Questions - Money & Trash & Dreams & Instruments & Stores ... Oh my!

It's 5QF (that is Five Question Friday for the uninitiated!) - and we've got some great questions to answer care of Mama M. at My Little Life. Make sure to visit her if you'd like to play along - just click on the 5QF button above!

And our questions are ...

1. What is better, growing old with out money or dying young and wealthy?

Ummmm ... what kind of question is THIS?!

Okay, okay ... just kidding.

I know exactly my answer.  I would rather grow old without the dinero.  I think youth and money is a dangerous combination.  Too often, Youth + Money = Foolish.  My level of joy, peace and satisfaction are not directly linked to my bank account; they're directly linked to my Heavenly Father.

2. Who takes out the garbage at your house?

Well .... whoever remembers - which too often is NOBODY. 

Monday night is trash night ... and it seems that we only remember every other week!  On week 2, we CAN'T forget because every time we leave the house, we're reminded by the overflowing piles outside the garage door entrance.  On the weeks we forget, the trash isn't full enough to overflow - so apparently, we operate in an "outta sight - outta mind" mentality.

Just last week, I put "Outgoing Trash" on a chore list for my boys.  I'm hopeful that they'll be more on top of the task than their Mama and Daddy!

Hope springs eternal!!!

3. Have you ever had the same dream many times?

I rarely remember my dreams anymore - but I used to.

I used to have flying dreams as a kid - or the ability to leap from tree top to tree top.  I LOVED those dreams. 

Two other themes that are less fun and more unsettling:

1. I am trying to see things more clearly.  I'm nearsighted in real life - and in my dream, I'll suddenly realize that everything is blurry - and I'll frantically search for my glasses or contacts.  Often, I'll find my contacts and try to stick them back in my eye - only to discover that they are about 4x to large for my eye - and I wake up with an image of myself trying to shove a saucer-sized floppy contact lens into my regular-sized eye.  Weird, right?  I know there's a message here ... I can almost "see" it ... haha.
2. I am in a house - and I can't find my way out.  I'm walking from room to room and there appears to be no exit anywhere.  Some of the rooms are fascinating and I'll linger in them - and others less so.  It's disconcerting not having the option of leaving.  The lower I go in the house, the eerier it is.  I know there's a metaphor here.  Psychoanalyze away!  ;-)

4. Can you play a musical instrument?

Well, I used to play both piano and clarinet. 

I feel quite certain that I'd very nearly need to start from scratch on the clarinet, so I don't think that counts anymore - and I always hated the taste and sensation of the wood reed, so I'm not interested in a refresher, thank you very much.

And the piano ... well, I can still pick out a tune, but after 12 YEARS of lessons imposed on me against my will ... I maintain (as I did from the first lesson at age 6) that a musician, I am NOT!!!  If there were a maestro in me, I think that 12 years is MORE than adequate to have coaxed it out.

5. If you owned your own store, what would you sell?

Well, this one is EASY PEASY for me!!  I used to own 2 retail stores, and would totally do it again ...

My hubby and I (though he was not my hubby at the time) opened our first retail store at the young and carefree age of 20.  We rented a mall kiosk in St. Cloud, MN where we made and sold beaded and macrame jewelry - casual, earthy stuff, most of which we made by hand.  Later, we opened additional outlets in Duluth, MN, then Appleton, WI and finally Eau Claire, WI where we settled for 9 years. 

When we became parents, we chose to close our out-of-town locations and focus on the local shop and our family.  Besides, I had suffered from serious post-partum and was not a very capable partner in business, marriage or parenting at the time.

When my little one turned one, I opened a local bath boutique in addition to the jewelry kiosk, specializing in mid-range bath products with an emphasis on quality and natural ingredients.  I loved everthing about this store ... the smell of the fresh cut soaps, the natural perfumes and candles ... ah, I MISS it!!!  We lasted a year - sales were increasing, and the store looked marvelous, but we lacked the funds to see it all the way through ... AND I was missing out on the formulative years with my 1st-born.  In light of the fact that we wanted more kids, we closed up shop, cut our losses - and I stayed at home, while my hubby moved on to car sales.

Anyhoodle ... I would SO do either a bath or jewelry store again - OR gifts in general.  Hmmmm ... pardon me while I continue to dream!!!  :-)

Happy Weekend!!! 

 And feel free to let me know YOUR thoughts on Money, Trash, Dreams, Instruments and/or Stores, too!