Here is a copy of a text I sent to my family today….Welcome to Rescue The Economy By Shopping Day.
Or the traditional Buy Nothing And Enjoy A Peaceful Day. ♥️🙃…
FYI, “Buy Nothing Day originated in Canada in September of 1992 as a way to protest the frenzy of Black Friday shopping. In 1997, the day's founder, artist Ted Dave, moved the day to the Friday after Thanksgiving to correspond with one of the most popular shopping days in the United States.”
Thank YOU, Susan, for taking us to the center. I’m with you on thanking our food! Changing the pronoun—“thank YOU, sweet potatoes”—suddenly makes a direct relationship. Now it’s you-me. Both of us alive, contributing. In a relationship with each other. We need this, I think, to change how we’re living in this beautiful world.
That's exactly it: the relationship changes with just that seemingly small shift in wording. Pronouns are such innocuous words, but they have great power. And that's a subject for another essay, I think. And yes, "in a relationship with each other" is the change in perspective and thus, action, we need to find "right relationship" as Quakers say, with this animate planet. Just the kind of thing you write about so thoughtfully in Nature :: Spirit.
What a kind and gentle piece to help us remember daily gratitude. After a day of my email blowing up with Black Friday Deals, your essay is soothing balm. Thank you. And Happy Thanksgiving to you and your new home. Big hugs. ~Stephanie
LOL — there was a lot of “deleting” during this season of Black Friday Deals —and you did give me an email worth reading! Thank you. Here’s to No-Shop-Fridays now and in the future! Big hugs, Sus.
I also bought nothing today, except for a visit to a locally owned coffee shop and gassing up my Prius. I'm fairly sure the Prius will get sold next year. It has been a good car, but my driving days may well be close to over.
I am thankful for family, especially now. I am thankful for the land on which my apartment sits and mindful that the land belonged to the Salish tribes before the western expansion of European settlers. I am thankful that the beaver still works in the trees at Magnuson Park in Seattle and that salmon are running again in Meadowdale Beach Park.
I am thankful that you have family nearby, David, and that you have friends and community as well. And I love the rest of your thankfulness, especially the beaver and the salmon running again in Meadowdale Beach Park!
Hooray for Buy Nothing Day. And for your wise words about giving thanks for those who grow our food.
As a long-term vegetable gardener, now with fruit trees and fruit-bearing shrubs, too, I’m familiar with the work it takes to grow and harvest. I’m thankful for the farmers and farm workers who make our food possible, not to mention the truck drivers and grocery store workers, and everyone down the supply chain of all of the foods that we consume. Dairy workers, tofu makers, fisher folk, etc.
Lisa, I'd say you are edging from gardener to small farmer with the addition of fruit trees and fruit-bearing shrubs! I agree that edible gardening helps make us aware of the enormous amount of work that goes into bringing those beings who are our food from farm and forest and ocean to our tables. Blessings to all, especially the food-beings. :)
Thank you, Jill! I'm happy to be settling in again, and I love my dawn walks, my back-porch slice of mountain view, and the design of my house. (Also that it's not a project. Sure, there are some tweaks to make, but I don't have to jack it up and put in a new foundation or put on a new roof or some other huge and expensive project!) Blessings to you in this time of short days and c-c-c-cold nights.
I did, and after six days of focused unpacking, I took the last empty box out to the garage this morning. I even have about 2/3 of my art on the walls (I have a lot of art!). It feels very good to have a home again, and all of my belongings around me. I know you can relate.... :)
Thank you, Emily! Practice does help in the settling in quickly, and unpacking does make one feel at home, in a deeply visceral way. I have tweaks to do to this house--generic, model-home-type light fixtures to replace with ones that are more my taste (this house was built as builder's model home for my neighborhood) and painting to do (griege, gray-beige, is so not my wall color!), but that will happen as I have time and/or can afford to hire folks to do the work. For now, I am very happy to be here, home.
I do think you have to live a bit in a place to be able to see how you want to live there (wall colors, lights, placement of art). That part takes time. I'm glad you're home.
I agree. However, I've had two solid months to think about this one since I looked at it twice before making my offer, plus a very long walk-through before closing. So I already have the wall colors picked out, and today my friend Jerry is here switching out a few light fixtures and putting in a new kitchen faucet for the ugly old one. I've been re-storying houses for the past decade-plus (ten projects in that time, all but one I lived in while doing the work), so I have a pretty good sense of how to listen to a house and hear what it needs. This one doesn't need the major work I've done with other houses; it really just wants some personality. So that's what we're working on. :)
Thanks, Linda! It was a harder move than I expected--being "between houses" for a month was much more unsettling and difficult than I imagined. I don't recommend selling and then storing your belongings while you look for a new place to live if you can avoid it! But I have definitely landed well, and I am grateful for that.
Linda, I hope your move is as smooth as possible. I will write more about mine in a post down the road, when I've had time to assimilate the impact of various decisions I made. :)
Here is a copy of a text I sent to my family today….Welcome to Rescue The Economy By Shopping Day.
Or the traditional Buy Nothing And Enjoy A Peaceful Day. ♥️🙃…
FYI, “Buy Nothing Day originated in Canada in September of 1992 as a way to protest the frenzy of Black Friday shopping. In 1997, the day's founder, artist Ted Dave, moved the day to the Friday after Thanksgiving to correspond with one of the most popular shopping days in the United States.”
Love it! I'm definitely in the Buy-Nothing Day camp. But first I say thanks to my food. :)
I will check the books you mentioned. I would add to the list The Rediscovery of North America by Barry Lopez.
That's a great addition, Ray, and thank you. I miss Barry a lot (he was a friend and writing mentor).
Thank YOU, Susan, for taking us to the center. I’m with you on thanking our food! Changing the pronoun—“thank YOU, sweet potatoes”—suddenly makes a direct relationship. Now it’s you-me. Both of us alive, contributing. In a relationship with each other. We need this, I think, to change how we’re living in this beautiful world.
That's exactly it: the relationship changes with just that seemingly small shift in wording. Pronouns are such innocuous words, but they have great power. And that's a subject for another essay, I think. And yes, "in a relationship with each other" is the change in perspective and thus, action, we need to find "right relationship" as Quakers say, with this animate planet. Just the kind of thing you write about so thoughtfully in Nature :: Spirit.
🙏💚💕
What a kind and gentle piece to help us remember daily gratitude. After a day of my email blowing up with Black Friday Deals, your essay is soothing balm. Thank you. And Happy Thanksgiving to you and your new home. Big hugs. ~Stephanie
I'm glad to have given you one email worth reading on No-Shop-Friday! Many blessings to you and a big hug. :)
LOL — there was a lot of “deleting” during this season of Black Friday Deals —and you did give me an email worth reading! Thank you. Here’s to No-Shop-Fridays now and in the future! Big hugs, Sus.
I also bought nothing today, except for a visit to a locally owned coffee shop and gassing up my Prius. I'm fairly sure the Prius will get sold next year. It has been a good car, but my driving days may well be close to over.
I am thankful for family, especially now. I am thankful for the land on which my apartment sits and mindful that the land belonged to the Salish tribes before the western expansion of European settlers. I am thankful that the beaver still works in the trees at Magnuson Park in Seattle and that salmon are running again in Meadowdale Beach Park.
I am thankful that you have family nearby, David, and that you have friends and community as well. And I love the rest of your thankfulness, especially the beaver and the salmon running again in Meadowdale Beach Park!
Hooray for Buy Nothing Day. And for your wise words about giving thanks for those who grow our food.
As a long-term vegetable gardener, now with fruit trees and fruit-bearing shrubs, too, I’m familiar with the work it takes to grow and harvest. I’m thankful for the farmers and farm workers who make our food possible, not to mention the truck drivers and grocery store workers, and everyone down the supply chain of all of the foods that we consume. Dairy workers, tofu makers, fisher folk, etc.
Lisa, I'd say you are edging from gardener to small farmer with the addition of fruit trees and fruit-bearing shrubs! I agree that edible gardening helps make us aware of the enormous amount of work that goes into bringing those beings who are our food from farm and forest and ocean to our tables. Blessings to all, especially the food-beings. :)
And saying thanks to and for you —
Dear Beth, Thank you for that. You are a blessing in this world.
The view from your new back porch looks mighty inviting! Welcome to your new home
Thank you, Jill! I'm happy to be settling in again, and I love my dawn walks, my back-porch slice of mountain view, and the design of my house. (Also that it's not a project. Sure, there are some tweaks to make, but I don't have to jack it up and put in a new foundation or put on a new roof or some other huge and expensive project!) Blessings to you in this time of short days and c-c-c-cold nights.
Thank you, Susan! You moved in:)
I did, and after six days of focused unpacking, I took the last empty box out to the garage this morning. I even have about 2/3 of my art on the walls (I have a lot of art!). It feels very good to have a home again, and all of my belongings around me. I know you can relate.... :)
I can! I'm generally a quick unpacker as well, lots of practice. It helps me feel at home. Glad you're nearly there (just a little bit of art to go).
Thank you, Emily! Practice does help in the settling in quickly, and unpacking does make one feel at home, in a deeply visceral way. I have tweaks to do to this house--generic, model-home-type light fixtures to replace with ones that are more my taste (this house was built as builder's model home for my neighborhood) and painting to do (griege, gray-beige, is so not my wall color!), but that will happen as I have time and/or can afford to hire folks to do the work. For now, I am very happy to be here, home.
I do think you have to live a bit in a place to be able to see how you want to live there (wall colors, lights, placement of art). That part takes time. I'm glad you're home.
I agree. However, I've had two solid months to think about this one since I looked at it twice before making my offer, plus a very long walk-through before closing. So I already have the wall colors picked out, and today my friend Jerry is here switching out a few light fixtures and putting in a new kitchen faucet for the ugly old one. I've been re-storying houses for the past decade-plus (ten projects in that time, all but one I lived in while doing the work), so I have a pretty good sense of how to listen to a house and hear what it needs. This one doesn't need the major work I've done with other houses; it really just wants some personality. So that's what we're working on. :)
Happy you are "home" and are unpacked. You did very well and that is encouraging to me as I contemplate my next move.
Thanks, Linda! It was a harder move than I expected--being "between houses" for a month was much more unsettling and difficult than I imagined. I don't recommend selling and then storing your belongings while you look for a new place to live if you can avoid it! But I have definitely landed well, and I am grateful for that.
Thanks for sharing this information. I hope to make a move within the next year.
Linda, I hope your move is as smooth as possible. I will write more about mine in a post down the road, when I've had time to assimilate the impact of various decisions I made. :)