Powerball...

[creekland]

Creek, it's not feeling inadequate. It's that in some cases (probably most) your lives do not relate. Your experiences, concerns, the places you go and what you do has too little in common to feel connected. When we hsers get together, we have a major connection point in common - we are all parents who either currently or formerly homeschooled. Additionally, it seems to be generally true that many hsers have other things in common because it is a certain kind of person who is likely to hs and a certain type of person who would never hs. At our meet-up, I found out something I had in common with two other members (maybe more) almost immediately - we grow food and can it. In my non-hsing circles, no moms can tomatoes or make pepper jelly. Same with back when I was a cloth diaper user. I didn't know anyone else who used cloth dipes until I met other HSers.

 

Going back to the attorneys I used to work with, they did not act snobby and I'm sure they never thought they were snobby, but they took many things for given and could not understand living differently. (Not every lawyer; I mostly mean those who had grown up wealthy for generations back.) We had no basis to be "friends," even if our interactions were friendly.

 

People feel close to others when they share stories or things going on in their lives; when they do things together and go places together. None of my friends are single, childless CEOs, though I am sure there are very lovely women fitting that description whom I would like just fine. There's no intersection in my life for such a friend and there probably arn't many women fitting that description who are thinking, "man, if only I was good friends with a homeschooling mom who cans tomatoes and makes jelly!" ;)

 

I totally get what you've been saying.  I'm not sure you understand what I've been saying.

 

I have three main circles of friends - school, church, neighbors.  They rarely overlap.

 

At school I think most of us have a common income (more or less), but that's not how friends select each other.  It's exactly like you say - common interests usually started via subjects taught, but not always.  There is some diversity with that.  Personality plays a part.  Since I sub, I float within more circles than most full time teachers.

 

At church and with neighbors there's a wide variety of income levels.  However, since our get togethers are not financially based (at all) our friendships are more varied.  What brings us together?   Location with neighbors, then personality as there are a handful of couples/families on our road we're not as chummy with.  Where we sit in church is a biggie, along with having kids roughly our kids age or liking to do similar things within the church.  It also leads to a wide variety of income levels.

 

We've seen on this board that there's a wide variety of income levels.  It's homeschooling that brings us together.  I'm pretty sure if we were close enough IRL that I could be friends with almost everyone - income wouldn't matter a hoot.

 

YMMV

 

See, I don't even know what you would put in the square.  Any number of your choosing?  Are there instructions?  I know I sound like a complete idiot, but really, I'm not. I just don't know anything about the lottery, and it intimidates me.

 

You can play in one of two ways.  

 

The easiest is to go to the cashier and say I want _____ Powerball tickets knowing that it will cost you $2 (cash) per ticket.  The computer will pick random numbers for you.  It's called Quick Pick.

 

If you have numbers you like, then you need to pick up a Powerball slip of paper from somewhere near the cashier.  Take a pencil or pen and select 5 numbers from the top section.  Then select one number in the bottom section.  The bottom is the Powerball.  (If I knew the game better, I could give you a range to choose from, but all are written on there already.  You're just filling in rectangles making your selections.)  Take this filled out paper to the cashier.

 

If you match the Powerball or two numbers from the top, you get $4 return.  Match more and you get more, but I don't know exact amounts for the others other than $1 million if you just match the 5 without the powerball and grand prize (shared among however many accomplish the task) if you get the whole thing.

 

I highly suggest not quitting any jobs or going on any shopping sprees right away, but dreaming is downright fun.   :coolgleamA:

[Carrie12345]

 

We've seen on this board that there's a wide variety of income levels.  It's homeschooling that brings us together.  I'm pretty sure if we were close enough IRL that I could be friends with almost everyone - income wouldn't matter a hoot.

 

 

 

I agree.

We hang with homeschoolers who don't feel a need to hide that they're on a shoe string budget (and prospective homeschoolers asking for help figuring out how to survive on decreased income and school cheap to free) as well as homeschoolers who are able to participate in everything, whatever the cost.  Some take amazing trips all the time, others look for tips on making staycations free.  Our vehicles are a mishmosh of beaters to fancy shmancy in every parking lot.  Even with our wide range of homeschool philosophies and world views, I feel we're a very strong community that's more likely to get prickly about our kids' interactions (still somewhat rare) than any type of financial issue.

 

I do assume I'm firmly in the middle, so perhaps I don't notice how things might look from either end of the spectrum, but I would think my spot in the middle would put me in a good position to hear chatter from others.  I haven't.