People keep saying that. “Enjoy your vacation.” I’ve stopped correcting them.
Sue has already commented on all the work going on while we travel. I wanna talk about this whole “if you’re traveling it must be a vacation” mindset.
It’s wrong.
Tag: simplify
Desire for a Flood
We are not ascetics. We love good food and wine (well, Sue’s pancreas has decided she can’t have alcohol any more, but she loves the smell) and we prefer nice furniture to garage sale stuff. We like a comfortable life and nice things.
Clearly, though, folks who are doing their best to divest themselves of stuff aren’t focused on said stuff too much.
Our goal is a simple lifestyle. This doesn’t mean living on crummy food or in dingy basements. (Consider that some of our best alcoholic beverages originated in monasteries.) It’s about choosing which stuff needs to be nice, and which stuff doesn’t matter.
I read this sentence this morning:
“This world’s advertising elements try to build in us a desire for a flood of consumer goods that we do not need. (Italics mine.)
Need. That can be a tough word to define, and we’re in the process of redefining it for ourselves.
Most of us can agree that the average family does not need six cars, or a house with more bathrooms than people.
But how many computers does our family ‘need’ ? Does Fiona need a computer? Do I need all my musical instruments?
Drawing the line between ‘need’ and ‘want’ is a difficult and, in the end, subjective and personal challenge. Resisting the media’s crushing push to make me want more more more, though, is an imperative.