Tall Poppies

I'm really lucky to have a paid job that I share with another woman of my vintage. At our age, neither of us has many demanding commitments like children's needs, so we are able to swap our days around and fill in for each other when we need time off.  I generally work two days and she works three days, but our boss is just happy that we get our work done and that one of us turns up for work every day.
We are Courier drivers for a large winery. Our daily tasks include collecting the mail from the Post Office, sorting and delivering mail and packages to various departments, buying the newspapers, taking wine samples or delivering wine to various wineries and restaurants around the Barossa.
We take the banking to the bank, organize the posting of the mail, do the shopping, collect the lunch platters from local restaurants for small catering or work gatherings.... and so many more odd bits and pieces make our days fly past.
It's a dream job, and the folks that I come in contact with are mostly lovely people.
However, my community of like minded people are here in the screen of my laptop.
This is where I talk to people who have similar interests and life values to mine. These are the people who have left the consumer lifestyle and are living lives to suit ourselves and our unique circumstances.
These are the folks who constantly inspire me, and who understand my slightly quirky take on life. They are not proudful or showy people who need to brag about their possessions, or who they are related to, or drop names.
Most of them  have no clue what the celebs are doing or indeed, who the celebs are.
They would understand that my hands, although stained from chopping beetroot or pulling weeds, are actually scrubbed and very clean.
These are my community and I thank them all for being there, for sustaining me and oftentimes, remind me of where I belong in this crazy world.
One of my favorites is Rhonda at Down to Earth and this post is a ripper.
Most of you will be very much aware of Rhonda, and oh my goodness, how grateful we are to have the gift of her wise words.
In this world of Tall Poppies, where so many folks love to criticize or tear down anyone who is cleverer, or prettier, or more popular, or who's bum is smaller, here's a public shout out for one who is genuinely worthy of praise.
You won't see her on a red carpet anywhere, with paparazzi vying for her photo, but you will find her contentedly pottering in her garden, or cooking food from scratch in her simple but practical kitchen, welcoming her family with love, caring for herself and her husband with a pleasure that she writes about so eloquently.

Thank you Rhonda for giving me the gift of realizing that the life I choose to live, and the values that I have, are really not all that unusual. That there are others like me, and that we have a platform to share our thoughts.
Not such a funny fish after all. :)