Laura Ingalls was a true pioneer woman. How she not only survived, but thrived, can be summed up in five lessons.
5 Ways to Be a True Pioneer Woman
She lived through tough times that would reduce many modern folk to a pile of goo, and then she created a legacy that has spanned close to a century telling the stories of how she did it.
Five Lessons from The True Pioneer Woman
Life Is Hard and You Have to Work
The Ingalls family faced famine, homelessness, and dire financial straits often. But every new day brought a new start and the Ingalls family didn’t cry or whine about their fate. They all pitched in, assessed the situation and more often than not, rebuilt their lives from the ashes of whatever hardship came their way. Laura later wrote about all of this as adventures, and told wonderful stories of her family’s journey. Sometimes when life seems to be falling apart, it’s really just coming together.
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
But if you try sometimes, you get what you need. It isn’t just part of a song, it was a way of life for the inhabitants of the Little House in the Big Woods. Laura Ingalls didn’t like doing a lot of the things that were required of her as a member of the team called the Ingalls. But she did what was needed to help her family and keep her own life moving forward towards what she wanted.
Sometimes you have to settle for a corn cob doll while you wait for the hand sewn one to come into your life, or you have to take a job you don’t like to pay for necessities. Ultimately, when you realize that having what you need is a blessing while you work for what you want, life is filled with hope instead of resentment and the feeling of scarcity.
Daily Life Isn’t Glamorous
Every moment of every day can’t be filled with running through tall prairie grass on a warm spring day. Sometimes you'll have long periods of nothing but housework, cooking, laundry, doing a job you don’t like, making clothes last when you really just want a cute new outfit, and living in a too small house. You’ll also have times when everything falls into place, life is more fun than work, and you have more of everything than you need. Remember that life is all about balance…the glamorous with the drudgery, the good with the bad and so on.
Be Grateful and Enjoy the Small Pleasures in Life
When life seems roughest, people tend to appreciate the small joys a bit more. Sewing a beautiful quilt from leftover fabric might not be a Facebook worthy vacation photo shoot, but at least it's more fun than trying to keep grizzly bears from breaking into your cabin for food or fleeing from a prairie fire while your home burns down. Never forget that you can always have more, but you could always have much less. Be grateful for what you do have.
No Matter How Humble, There’s No Place Like Home
If you live in a small home with other people (especially kids) and you don't have a dime to your name after you pay the bills, it can be easy to become apathetic about your surroundings. You are far better off keeping the place you call home neat, organized, and welcoming. There are multi million dollar mansions that are downright filthy inside between maid visits. Your cozy corner of the planet is far superior to a cavernous, dirty, uncared for space.
The Ingalls didn’t have much, but no matter where they were their home was neat as a pin and cozy. Laura wrote lovingly of living in houses that consisted of one room that served as a communal living space, or other homes that were tiny and drafty. It isn’t grandeur that makes a place wonderful to live in. It’s the love and gratitude of the people in it, reflected in the care of the place they call home.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Laura Ingalls Wilder / Amazon.