Mental Multivitamin and from there; Semicolon.
and this...
which tickled my funny bone and took the pressure out of something that was suppose to be fun in the first place, and then turned into a chore that I was skillfully avoiding. But now, with my new BWO mantra, it just might be fun again.What started this little treasure hunt?
Why, I was googling ( I just Googled google-ing to make sure that was the right way to say it, HA!) a quote from The Hours to see if it was something that was from Virginia Wolf or just from the movies interpretation of her. She says "I choose not the suffocating anesthetic of the suburbs, but the violent jolt of the Capital..." And I thought it was so poetic and pin pointed how I feel about urban life, my urban life, that I wanted to know more...
I have noticed a trend with a lot of my friends and family towards 'getting off the grid', homeschooling, homesteading,DIY, etc. and while I admire it for many reasons, I have to say I am confused by it as well. It often seems paired with a distaste for cities. It seems like a distrust of people, and a need to retreat. I am all for the DIY ethic, but what is your time worth? For example making your own bullion, which I read recently someone I know was doing. If it's only 2 dollars in the store, but takes you all day to make...? Is that the best use of your brain, and multiple talents? and I know we pooh-pooh at people who have the gardeners, housekeepers, etc. but if you were free from scrubbing the tub, and in turn helping support a small business (your dog walker, for instance), is it really that bad? I guess my point is what would you be doing, if you were free to be doing it? 2 more hours a day to dance, paint, write that book? I am not in that position yet, so I am going to scrub my tub. But you can bet your butt that my work ethic won't disappear when I can afford to have someone else scrub it for me. I will just have a clean tub AND time to go skip rocks with my husband. or blog. I realize that I am making a value judgment as to what it right for my time, so don't be offended if you are into making dehydrated goodies for your family in your spare time.For those that have the courage to start their own small businesses making soap or baking bread, need patrons too.I think I am just fascinated about where we draw the lines with our money and our time, aren't you?
3 comments:
I would have to say that I pretty much on the same page as you. With my full time job, and the hour plus commute each way I search for efficency as much as anything else. I weigh my time against the almight dollar. Money can be earned again but time is lost forever.
I think you present an interesting idea. One that I have often pondered myself. In fact, the reason I do all the DIY, homeschooling, and homesteading, and dehydrating is BECAUSE I know my time is valuable. You almost make is sound like those of us who prefer that lifestyle are doing it because we either don't know any better, or because we are so financially stingy that we trade our time for a few pennies.
Perhaps you didn't realize what a poor example dehydrating is...perhaps you don't care, but in case you do care, I am going to say that making my own boullion saves me time (MAYBE a total of 20 minutes personal time with it) AND money (I get about 20 oz of it, and it costs literally pennies), AND I get a better quality product (that is void of horrible fillers like dye's and preservatives) that is better for the environment (since there is no packaging that I don't just wash and reuse.)
I don't do this because I am too poor to fork out two dollars at the store. I do it because it's a hobby, and a life skill that I think is valuable to know. And I want to homestead because it's a simpler life for me, my family, and the environment. I thought you city folk were into the whole, "saving the world" bit. I would think you would be more understanding.
And, by the way, while I was making my boullion, I took my kids to the park, finished my grocery list, chatted with a friend, checked my email, faxed some papers, and made some lunch. The only difference is that at the end of the day I did all the things I wanted AND I had a fresh jar of boullion.
Erin,
You know right after I wrote this I wanted to go take it down.Thinking out loud, examining your life etc, can be dangerous out here in blog world. I knew that even though I said I was making a value judgment, and not to get offended, that someone would. I should have used one of the many other example I had to make my point besides dehydration, but I picked it because the organic kind I buy at Whole Foods is so inexpensive. And my point was to contrast time with money, (thank you for pointing out how little time it actually takes, I do care.I was under the impression that it was something you had to stand over and skim the fat off all day..)but also the bigger picture which I don't think I made clear, the brave souls who quit those 9-5s to start small niche markets/artisans and entrepreneurs. For me that is the quintessential America dream, and with everyone in panic mode about the economy those folks are the ones hurting.And also,service oriented businesses get hurt when people "go it alone". And my off the grid friends, of which I have many, are so concerned with getting off the grid that I think they are missing out on being a part of the community. They shop at Walmart because they think it servers their families budget, without thinking about the effect on their community... Lets be clear at this point, I don't know you Erin, so that is a statement about my friends that I do know. Some of whom are artist, who aren't doing their art...I think that it is a great skill being a homemaker and don't know anyone who does it better than my sister. She does it all while working on her art.She is a rare creature, and I hope to be half as good at it as she is when I have kids. As I have said in the past I am sure you two are very similar.
I neither said that you were financially stingy , or "don't know any better", in fact I didn't say anything about you at all. I was talking about ME, yes I used your action as my example, but I was talking about me and my struggle to find the right way to go: is it better to scrub my own tub or make my own cake, OR in supporting my local macrobiotic cafe and maid service am I not contributing to the local economy AND freeing up my time to paint or dance, run, or volunteer...? this is where the value judgment comes in. What's right for me isn't necessarily right for you. And I apologize if I offended you. I can ponder over these things quite innocently and do from time to time here. Like homeschooling. Amber will be homeschooling and it is a topic of discussion that comes up from time to time on her old blog. It will be coming up on here as well. Along with many other things that I am curious about.The balance between being self sufficient and being a part of a community- the line folks walk playing it safe and pushing themselves to grow...these things fascinate me. I am not an either/ or person. I am a both/ and. I doesn't mean I am not understanding as you claimed, it means that I am curious about human nature, religion, politics and art. And I am open and welcome health debates here. But if you take things too personally you might not like my blog. I am undecided about what I think on this home school issue. While continuously loving and supporting my sister, I can and do have a contrasting opinion, sometimes I play devils advocate even when I agree wholeheartedly. Why? because we are here to help one another grow, look deep inside, and love.I am glad that at the end of the day you did all the things you wanted to. That's great. That is what we are all hoping for. Someday, without attachment, I hope to say the same.
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