Ponderings
Waste not, want not
Lately I’ve been talking about waste - waste of television, waste of money, waste of plastics/recyclables, waste of anger and fear and worry, etc. Of course, the alleged laws of attraction told me to TiFaux Oprah today (believe it or not, I don’t do that all the time). The topic? Wasteful families and how you can change.
There are already things I am doing to try not to be wasteful. I no longer keep the water running when I brush my teeth. I’m on week two with the Brita. I’m trying not to eat out as much. I’m conscious of the waste of time in front of the computer and television.
Can I digress a moment and mention last night’s episode of South Park? “No internet? Do you have internet? I don’t have internet! We need internet!” Ironically, I got home from work this afternoon and I had no internet. Touché, Trey and Matt. Touché.
Anyway, back to wastefulness. We really do live in a world of convenience; a world that we’re destroying. I just threw out half a pint of strawberries that had gone bad. I had no problem baking and eating a whole bag of garlic fries for dinner, though. It’s too easy to be lazy and careless about what is available to us and which choice is easier.
I’ve been listening to Eckhart Tolle talk about being Present for a week now. On the webcast, he and Oprah keep talking about how wasteful it is to get mad about traffic - something you can’t change. I recognized the validity of their statement on the way home from work, simultaneously cursing the middle-aged dude going 35 MPH in the fast lane. Dude, he was driving a Corvette. At 35 MPH!
Not wasting time, energy, food, non-renewable energy, etc. is tiring. But it’s so worth it. Do you know what I did before I was old enough to work, drive, pay my own bills and move out of my parents’ home? I walked around the neighborhood. All day. With Jen. I was a skinny little bitch who would tan over the summer and didn’t care if I missed television that day. I did not waste a minute thinking about Pine Valley or Llanview. I walked around the same neighborhood, all day every day, only going home to eat three meals a day.
It’s been many years. I’ve accumulated a lot of pounds and a lot of stuff. Time to cut the crap.
Discussion
2 comments for “Waste not, want not”
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Great post, Diz. Cutting back is something we can all do. I recently upgraded from renting a one-bedroom apartment to renting a small, three-bedroom house, and I had to make some sacrifices in the process. First up: cutting cable…and a month later, I haven’t missed it. All the shows I watch are available online (legally) for free, and even still, the new digital TV broadcasts by most stations allow many people (depending on location) to get a surprising amount of HDTV over the air at no charge. But aside from that, I’ve started shopping more at a closeout grocery store (that specializes in natural/organic foods, nonetheless), and I’ve learned to cut back on energy usage since I’m having to pay all the utilities myself. Yeah, it’s all been an adjustment, but the benefits make it worth it.
@Jeremy - Congrats on the house, and cutting out things that aren’t necessities. It’s great when we realize we can adjust and it’s better for us!