Houses, clothes, paperwork, appliances, yards, gardens, cars, computers...
What would we do if we didn't have all this stuff to take care of?
I have less than some - not having a family - and more than others. I had less when I was younger, and when I lived in an apartment. Now I'm in a house, though I don't own it.
I may live more simply than some of my neighbors, but I have more money and probably more stuff than most others in our world. (Use this interesting website to see where you stand in the global economy.)
I suspect that those with less money, though they have less stuff, might spend as much of their time taking care of it.
Similarly, people in "the old days." Maybe for example they only had a few sets of clothes but it would be much more work to wash, dry, and iron those that they had... and there's the more time-intensive shopping, cooking, preserving - a lot of work I don't have to do.
What would life be like without stuff to take care of? Or what if you had somebody else taking care of all your stuff? What would you do differently if you could?
I'll admit I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself today; I wish there was someone else besides me who could do the yard work or fix the number of little things that seem to have wrong with the car (brake light just went out, so add that to the list). No doubt the presence of such a person in my life (unless we're talking about hired help) would increase my responsibilities in many other respects. So I should not complain, eh?
The housework I kind of like. It's one of the easiest parts of life in which to take chaos and make order. So housework is gratifying. Though I'm sure the shine rubs off for the moms who feel like they just have to keep doing the same chores over and over.
I like cooking too. It's a nice combination of pleasure-seeking and practicality. I mean, you (and any family you happen to have) have to eat, right? Why not make something a little special, especially if it's healthy and economical?
I'm a bit sorry there's nobody to share to share the fruit of my hands with, today. Just finished making a big batch of pasta-e-fagioli. I'm about to make a pot of chai and a pumpkin pie (never out of season, to my palate!)
2 comments:
When we sold the house in Edmonds, we let go of 25 cu yds of stuff. I'm afraid that now that we own a house again, we're accumulating stuff. The only solution is to live on a boat.
Well, to "live aboard" does reinforce a certain simplicity. But I don't know if your logic holds up. Isn't it like saying: the only solution to overeating is to get rid of your fridge?
And, much stuff or little stuff, we still fill up our lives with taking care of our stuff, don't we? I don't know if I'd say that's necessarily a bad way to live one's life - certain kinds of stuff management can be quite rewarding - but I tend to think there is a better option.
And Dad, even if you were still on the boat you'd be pouring yourself into the new garden plot, wouldn't you?
I put away most of the cat's "stuff" while the roommate's out of town. Lucy has an awful lot of toys. She knows where they are kept - a basket next to the sofa - and can get them out if she wants to. There's a pink glittery ball she is fond of playing with. But she seems to prefer the much chewed-upon green straw that she hides, when it's not in use, under the hallway rug.
And me, what are my favorite toys? This laptop computer, above all else. Bit pricier than a plastic straw.
Post a Comment