Hey All!
I took today off of work! YEA! I need to take Matt to therapy, and have a pedi, haircut and physical therapy myself. SO another busy day here. But, there is some thoughts that have been spinning around in my head....
Now, this "going Green" thing is a big buzz word now, and it has been driving me a bit crazy. I know that my family and ALL of my past generations have ALWAYS been green. We are hoarders, pack-rats, believers in usefulness of everything. This doesn't mean that we are junky-folks. We just find use for everything, or someone that could use it. Remembering my grandma, she recycled before there was the word. She re-used bread bags, washed them and hung them to dry... oh, then of course the zip-locks when they came out. When she use aluminum foil, yep, you guessed, she washed it and reused it. She always hung her clothes on the line, even in the winter. Grandma salvaged elastic, bra hooks, every bit of lace. I know this, as I have her beloved sewing machine cabinet filled still to this day with her precious pieces. She patched on top of patches on her family's clothes, and darned socks (not just trashing them). Everything she grew in her garden was used, right down to the green tomatoes.... she was a hell of a cook, and could fix something up quickly out of nothing. She hardly threw anything into the burn barrel! They even used newspapers for insulation in their home. So, what is "going green" really mean? I guess we need to reflect on our roots. Recycle more, think twice about throwing things away; maybe, donate it to charity. Use less.... I will heed those words. too.
I am told that we come from some seriously tough stock. I guess we had to, as our family was homesteaders out on the prairie/buttes east of Crawford (where my parents still tend the land) They survived it all; blizzards, dirt storms, drought upon drought, rain, mud up to your hips, and deaths. Thank the Lord that we are tough, because we are still in a storm of our own. Thank YOU to the past generations for teaching us to cherish life, and to be "green" from the get go!
What a great message, Beck. Truly we are in a difficult place, in more than one way. If we can strive to be more like former generations, maybe we can get things back to where they should be. Maybe not where they USED to be, but where they OUGHT to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ever so inspirational thought to get me started on my Thursday. I am a bit lathargic getting going this morning; we were working on a project for a friend (to earn some xtra Vegas $$$!!) til late last night, and will be back at it today!
So True....So True!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post today..:)
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff here, Becky! I love looking at our heritage and seeing how amazing they were at conserving and being conscientious. Do you know why hearing about others "going green" drives you crazy?
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents were the same way--the tin foil thing, they recycled everything, used hardly any electricity, didn't dispose of anything they could re-use, etc. They were an amazing example. Still, I (unfortunately) used Walmart plastic bags instead of cloth, I used icky disposable diapers and wipies with my first two babies, and I've pumped all sorts of bio-chemicals onto my lawn (and into my washer and dishwasher) without thinking twice about what it was doing to my water supply and the environment. A lot more of the junk is being mass marketed today than ever was during my great grandparents and grandparent's prime years after having lived through the great depression and such. They'd be shocked at what's become of our society (my 88 year old grandfather sure is and my 100 year old great aunt sure was).
I wish I could say that I've done the right thing from the start like my ancestors did. This year has truly been an overhauling of my mind and my daily habits. I don't think I'll ever look at "things" the same way again, thank goodness.
Hugs n' Smooches,
~Shaye