What Would You Sacrifice for a Huge Reward?

The question posed for this month's challenge was:  

You have been offered the following challenge - to live in a tiny house, off grid, for a year and you will be rewarded with $100,000.  Will you do it?  Why or why not?

When I read this, I laughed out loud.  Not only would I do it -- but I already had.  When my hubby suggested we purchase property to build our dream home I was hesitant because it was far from the lifestyle I had grown accustomed to.  However, the potential of turning this into something far beyond that dream was exciting.  

We got up early to catch a ferry to a place I never heard of before.  Finding out that this was only the first of two ferries, each a 40 minute mini-cruise, with a long drive in between, was not a pleasant memory.  My doubts were building but I convinced myself to "Look first; then decide."

3 Life Lessons You'll Never Forget

Biting my tongue, I tried not to cry. The man on the other end of the telephone was breathing heavily and sporadically. When the seconds between each breath lasted too long, terror ran through my veins.

I needed more time. I needed him to breathe normally. I needed HIM. But the time had come. It was his time to leave.

I could tell by his breathing pattern how my words were affecting him. When the breaths came rapidly, I knew he was becoming emotional. When they were slower, it meant he was calmer.

I told him how much I loved him; how much I appreciated my heritage and the ethics he instilled in me. I thanked him for putting up with my incessant babbling when I got excited.  I reminded him how he would offer me 25 cents to be quiet for five minutes when I was a little girl. I felt him smile inside.

I'm the little one

What Life Lessons Did Your Father Teach You?

In a small German village on New Year's Eve 1903, my father, William Frederick, was born. He was the oldest of thirteen children. Life was challenging and after my father's brother was born, my grandfather traveled to the New World. Grandpa worked hard to save enough money to bring his family to America.

TRAVELING AS STOW-AWAYS

The day came when my Grandma and her two little boys could travel across the seas to unite with Grandpa and have a better life.   There was not enough money for the three of them to travel as passengers.  My dad and his brother were stowaways in the hull of the ship.  It was a three-week journey with little food for the boys to share.  My father was four years old and would go the kitchen and beg for the table scraps that had been thrown away.   Often, he was reprimanded for being there and not given anything to eat.

One Surprising Life Lesson in Integrity and Courage

A story worth remembering and thinking about......  

A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.  Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different and called all the young executives in his company together.

He said "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO.  I have decided to choose one of you."  The young executives were shocked as the boss continued.  "I am going to give each one of you a seed today.  This is one very SPECIAL seed.  I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this seed.  I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

A Special Father and Lessons Learned

In a small German village on New Year's Eve 1903, my father, William Frederick was born. He was the oldest of thirteen children. Life was challenging and after his brother was born, my grandfather traveled to the New World to work and save enough money to bring his family to America.

TRAVELLING AS STOW-AWAYS

The day came when Grandma and her two boys could travel across the seas to unite with Grandpa for a better life.   There was not enough money for the three of them to travel as passengers; my dad and his brother were stow-aways in the hull of the ship.  It was a three week journey with little food for the boys to share.  My father was four years old and would beg the kitchen staff for table scraps that had been thrown away.  He was reprimanded for asking and given nothing to eat.