Here's to the Hold Outs

    If you live in suburbia like I do every once in a while you may notice a piece of land that seems out of place. On this land there may be an old farm house, perhaps some cattle, or maybe even some crops growing. The land doesn't look at all like the subdivisions and shopping centers it is squeezed in between. In fact, it probably was in place long before these structures ever existed.

   To some, this land is a nuisance. It serves as a reminder of an antiquated lifestyle that society no longer embraces. Often, it is considered a smelly, eye sore that is standing in the way of development. In my mind however, there is a depth of meaning to be found there on that unyielding ground.

    There, on that piece of land resides what I affectionately call "the hold outs".  These are the people that refused to give up their land, their tradition in favor of progress. They do this despite hardship and pressure from the outside world. Continuously they toil on plots of land that have become sacred to them. These people are not defined by modern societies standards, but rather a set of standards that they, themselves have dictated.

   Perhaps the reason I find such a kinship with these dear folks, is that I too feel like a hold out. Society tells us that our worth is measured by our paycheck, yet I do not earn a paycheck. Society also tells us that the modern woman doesn't need to cook, clean, or provide unassisted care for the children yet I do these things. Undoubtedly, my families financial burden would be lighter if I had a job. My workload would be made more bearable if I hired a cleaning service, ate out, and sent my children to day care, but all of this would not make me who I want to be. I refuse conform to societies standards. Instead I choose to set my own standards based on "antiquated" ideas because I believe that this is the right thing for me to do. There are, of course, times when I feel inadequate, as if what I am doing doesn't matter because society doesn't commend it. It is at during those times I like to drive by that ever present calm field in the middle of a swirl of commotion and think to myself "Here's to us hold outs".