Simple Life

Signs that Spring is almost here
 This week my washing machine broke. The same week my husband was out of town for a week and unable to repair or haul a replacement into my laundry room. I faced the dreaded trip to the local laundromat to sit for hours staring at machines and having a rather unproductive day. Unproductive days and I don't really get along too well. 

The hens getting a treat of chopped canned cucumbers that were a little too old for our use.

 While dreading the trip and preparing to lug all my dirty clothes to a seedy place across town and plunk endless quarters into a machine I had an epiphany. Why spend the gas driving 20 miles to haul my laundry to another location? Why waste the quarters and the hours of time sitting and waiting? 

 I have a bathtub and plenty of running water. And I did all of our laundry in the tub this week. 

Today's load of clothes drying on the line.
 I have had the unfortunate past experience of living with no running water for several years of my life. I had to boil water to do dishes and wash clothes regularly. I had no access to a washing machine and not enough money to feed machines weekly. So I looked at the bright side and the availability of hot running water and threw all my clothes in there to scrub them clean!

These seedlings popped out of the dirt in TWO DAYS. And had a germination time of 2 weeks.
 I learned many things dear friends, scrubbing our socks and shirts in the bathtub. My clothes were cleaner. I used less detergent. And I could focus on the very dirty articles that needed special attention. It took me only 1 hour to do three loads of clothes. And they come off the line (some thrown in the dryer to fluff) smelling AMAZING. 

 And there was much reflection sitting there with the warm water and the smell of Borax. Why do we rely so much on our machines. So many of us are really trying to simplify our lives, but with the breakdown of one little machine we lose control. Why is that? Its the same as learning how to make bread by hand instead of popping the ingredients in the mixer or the bread machine. I know I can do it now. I know if my machine breaks I can knead a loaf of bread with my own power. That doesn't mean that I am throwing out my mixer, but it does mean that IF I no longer have use of those machines, I am not lost.

Galahad enjoying the breath of Spring to come.
We do have many creature comforts in the modern world. Things that make our days more productive and give us the ability to relax and reflect more. But do we take them for granted sometimes? What would you do without the machines and creature comforts you use every day? Could you cope without?

Comments

  1. Brianne GalganoMarch 15, 2013 at 5:07 PM

    I lived for twenty years in the big city of Orlando, FL and I have to say you get used to conveniences. There's downsides to all of those conveniences...like when things break down you don't often have the ability to do things by hand. When you don't have land enough to dry the clothes outside or bathtub to wash them in it makes things like machine breakdowns more aggravating. Big city life is about apartment or condo living and housing associations and people that complain if you make too much noise . Doing things the 'hard way' is frowned upon because it's ugly or noisy, or just so plebeian.

    I get asked all the time why I seemingly randomly up and left what everyone thought was a good life in the city. I may not have a solid answer but I can say that part of it is that I had this unease stirring to insurrection in the back of my brain. I forgot my roots that I could do things for myself. I was making excuses in the name of commercialism and convenience. It was making my health less than stellar and I wasn't happy.

    The funny thing is that people my age are often so astounded that I know how to do things 'from scratch' or at all. They watch with a kind of wonder or like I come from some other planet. My friends joke about how when the zombie apocalypse comes they are coming to my house because I know how to survive. For as much as I know I have yet to learn it astounds much less my friends know. It makes me feel smarter than those people struggling to pay for all of those fancy gadgets and cars that they 'need.'

    I've since taken residence in a fairly rural part or a small city. It's kind of my half-way point. In the last three-ish years that I've been here I've taken pride in learning even more things about how to do without the conveniences . I'm not sacrificing to make a point or to save money (although more often than not I do), I'm learning how it could be done for my own peace of mind. I know that I could cope. My partner may have a bit farther to go though.

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