The Amish: much cooler people than you

Dear you, 

Today is better. I went to the Amish community about half an hour away today. I’ve been there a few times before, but it’s always enlightening.

I always go to the cheese factory first. That’s where you get the best cheese curds this side of…the world? I don’t know, they’re just really good. I also purchase my fudge there. We got back in the car donning our new map of the shops in town and headed into the heart of the Amish town of Leon.

There’s a special place I love to go. The Toy Store. It’s out on the top of a lone hill.                               

My sister and I actually got to know the woman in charge. Her name is Sarah. She has more kids than I can count, and all but one have already grown up. She may wear simple clothes but she isn’t such a simple woman. While I don’t know that she’s had a lot of formal education I can’t deny that I see her wisdom. It drips off of her.

I met her youngest daughter today. She’s only 17. She said something very interesting to me. She said, “I’m glad I don’t have to go to college.” She said it seemed too confusing. Being that I just went to ECC today and found out I have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it, I couldn’t agree with her more.

It just made me realize something. Of course I never was high and mighty enough to believe that they wished they had my life but I did wonder…Did the girls ever wish they could run off and go to college or even just have a career that didn’t necessarily involve a family?

I suppose I still don’t have the answer to that question and never will unless I somehow get every girl in the town of Leon to tell me their deepest desires. Which…I kind of doubt. But I did realize that while some may want to experience more, others just…don’t. They are excited to be done with school just like us, but they are also so excited to settle down and have a family.

I suppose that while I don’t claim to be high and mighty about our culture and ways of life, no one is perfect. We all wonder sometimes.They must want to be like us! We have Facebook, and cell phones, and electricity! That’s just not true. I envy the Amish in a lot of ways. Yeah, they have no air-conditioning, but they also don’t have a lot of the big issues that our culture has to deal with.

You go, Amish people! I’m jealous of you.

Until we speak again.

Sincerely, me