I like to think a stool balances best on three legs. Ya know? Even if one leg is a little shorter than the others.... with three legs it will still balance.
That's my approach.
So 'round here we struggle with balancing three main philosophies.... like a 3-legged stool.... or like 3 overlapping circles....
Green: So obvious. So trendy. So current. So hip. Cut the clutter. Stop shopping. Repurpose. Try being happy with what you have.... see, it isn't so bad. I wish there was a better word for it than green... it makes me feel so muppet-y.
Cheap: Again, with the trendy. And the price of gas. But I swear to you.... I've been doing this for years. Budget.... but not a cheapskate.... right? Because I'm not afraid to dish cash for a serious investment (or really excellent cheese).... But am I going to spring for fancy all-organic food? Probably not. But will I shell out $25/week for a CSA share? Probably.
Easy: Ok, some would call this "simple" and call me a hipster. (If you could see what I'm wearing, eating, reading and doing right now you would laugh at THAT label....) But it goes beyond simple.... simple stirs ideas of hippie and crunchy and earthy..... and sometimes my idea of simple is.... well..... mac-n-cheese and a dvd on a Friday night. So within the triumvirate balance we see microcosms of internal balance.... oh, our simple diagram of three overlapping circles just got a little more complicated, didn't it? Maybe "easy" has some tones of "slow down" or "simplify" or "just give yourself a fucking break already there, SuperMom" in it.
So I'm finding tones of these things in everything as I go about my day. Am I just using this to justify living how I want to live? Because if that is the case I'm wasting my time.... who cares? Is it a tactic to justify the slightly schizophrenic cross between hippie & redneck? Or to justify feeding my kids hot dogs? Or is it not about justification at all?
How 'bout you?
1 comment:
Yeah, can totally relate. Example: There's a program that our block captain got our street in that provides free lunches and snacks to the kids in the neighborhood all summer. They bring them in the morning, someone distributes them, then they pick up the trash every afternoon. The meals are, I'm sure, not organic, and not exactly healthy, although I'm certain they could be worse. They are packed in plastic and sometimes cardboard. And every day I struggle with taking lunch. I mean, they're FREE. They have been made and delivered and are either going to me or to the trash, and so I should just take one, right? But the waste and the quality leave so much to be desired. Yet I'm the crazy hippie neighbor if I offer to recycle all the kids' trash, and I'm elitist if I skip the lunches. But my kids need to eat just like the rest of them.
Wow. I guess I needed to get that off my chest. Sorry for the rant.
The balance is so difficult, figuring out where to cut corners and make it all work. You are obviously doing a great job, and I know you'll continue to try to make the trium-whatever work out.
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