Pioneering

 I mentioned this feature of our kitchen/dining room in an earlier post, and it is one of my favorite things about our home -- our peninsula.  Though it is not an island because it is anchored to the wall on one end, it does function much like an island, without swallowing precious floor space in our small-ish kitchen.  Our portable dishwasher eliminates the viability of an island in our kitchen, unless of course the island could encase the dishwasher.  The Wall Street Journal article I read this morning seems to indicate that such a feature would not be out of the question.

 Back to the reality of our beloved peninsula, it serves as  a food prep and food serving station; extra or alternate seating for meals; storage for a variety of kitchen appliances, utensils and miscellaneous other kitchen wares; a hang out spot for chatting with whoever is working in the kitchen; a schoolwork station; and my desk-away-from-my desk during the school portion of our days.  It was one of my favorite features of the house when we were shopping for houses and remains a favorite for all of us.

 What I didn't realize until today is that our value for our peninsula is another indicator that we are "pioneers" of sorts.  I have a hunch that I first heard the term in the way in which I am referring from someone who was retelling something they heard or read from Arthur Burk.  I apologize up front to everyone who is associated with the forthcoming explanation because I do not remember distinctly or accurately, but rather remember what I took away from the conversation.  Pioneers hear about something and then go after it; they are not the ones discovering new things, but rather those who follow behind those who have discovered new things.  We did not discover the value of the peninsula, but we did recognize and appreciate it right away upon being introduced to the idea.

 Home Education, our faith journey, and parenting are other areas where we have sensed we are pioneers.  I am profoundly grateful for those who have gone before us, blazing the trail and then sharing discoveries with us and others.  We seek opportunities to share the benefits of what we have experienced as result of the new places we have explored and "lived in."  It gives me great joy to share my enthusiasm for trying new things/pioneer spirit with others.

 Though it will not be featured in The Wall Street Journal, our peninsula is a treasured element in our home.  It appears to have been installed by the former home owner and is on the inexpensive side, yet we value it greatly.  The opportunity it affords us to connect meaningfully with family and friends in a variety of contexts is priceless.

 In what sphere of life are you a pioneer?

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