A free weekly newsletter about people, places, history, and happenings in Opelika. Brought to you by Garrison Snelling.
Learning to settle down
O Grows Farmers Market
Visit the O Grows Farmers Market to enjoy baked goods, fresh produce, and more from our local vendors every Tuesday from 3 to 6!
Or copy this link: https://www.aotourism.com/Event/44675/O-Grows-Farmers-Market/
Hey there!
I really wanted this week's newsletter to be a joke. I had a plan to write an article titled "10 Reasons Why You Should Move to San Fransisco." It was going to be hilarious. I had a few reasons and I was going to expand on them. Of course, none of the reasons would be legitimate like "The weather is great." They all would have been more akin to "A high cost of living is great."
Nobody wants a high cost of living... That is the joke, of course.
I quickly realized that if i was having to explain the jokes, it may not actually be that funny. Jokes are typically self-evident. Jokes are similar to the truth in that way.
As I dug deeper into my motivations behind my joke piece, I started to think more and more about "settling down." That high cost of living actually prevents you from settling down.
Settling down is typically associated with kids, family, or just a slower lifestyle. When I think about settling down, I actually think about it as a term from the past. I don't think about it as something that we as a society or culture do in this day and age.
When I stop and think about the cultural signals we receive today, I think of the term "transient." Everything is sellable, movable, rentable, or buyable. Families move. Friends move. People change jobs, careers, and churches quite often. Whenever it suits them really.
This leads me to ask the question...Is this good? Does this actually lead to happiness?
When I begin to evaluate my life, some of the best decisions I have made actually center around "settling down." In my experience, "settling down" actually brings a good bit of peace and happiness. Of course this is not a guaranteed formula for success, but it is a probability game.
Anyway, these are my random musings... Isn't this way better than my joke piece?
-Garrison
P.S. If you like this story it'd mean the world to me if you'd share it with some friends. Also, if you have an idea or want to write a story just reply to this email. :)
Thanks to Abby Snelling for editing drafts of this.
From Opelika
A free weekly newsletter about people, places, history, and happenings in Opelika. Brought to you by Garrison Snelling.
Opelika 30: Have a prayer request? Just reply! Starting October 1st through the 30th, I'm organizing 30 days of prayer for the city of Opelika. We will be meeting at noon every day at Courthouse Square. If you want to stay informed about the event, register at the event page below. Also, feel free to reply with prayer requests, etc. More Info ↗️ Or copy this link: https://lu.ma/mzaxazi6 Hey there! I frequently discuss with friends (a lot of the people reading this) the direction of Opelika....
Opelika: 30 days of Prayer Starting October 1st through the 30th, I'm organizing 30 days of prayer for the city of Opelika. We'll be meeting at noon everyday at Courthouse Square. If you want to stay informed about the event, register at the event page. More Info ↗️ Or copy this link: https://lu.ma/mzaxazi6 Hey there! My name is Garrison Snelling. It's been a little while since I have sent you a newsletter. Many of you have very kindly told me that you missed this and I hope to say that I...
Chatham Rabbits Concert @ John Emerald Distillery Come see the Chatham Rabbits in Concert at John Emerald Distillery on July 22nd at 8:00pm. Bring camp chairs and friends to enjoy the live music together. Tickets are online or at the door. More Info ↗️ Or copy this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chatham-rabbits-tickets-637374533387 Hey there! I read a great article by the Observer that was about the Maffias fire almost one year ago. The fire itself completely destroyed the Maffias...