I plan on allowing this blog to be about as open to the public as it can be. Therefore, please do me a huge favor and keep names and personally identifying information off of this blog. I feel that anonymity will be the best policy for all parties involved.
Thank you for helping me with this!!
By the way, doesn’t this post assume I will have readers?? Maybe I will once I ever feel ready “share” it :)
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Moneyless Man
I find it quite fitting that the morning after beginning this blog (that is still a secret- shhhh), husband drew my attention to this news article about a man who lived for over a year without the exchange of currency. He basically lived on a piece of land in exchange for labor in a garden, where he also drew his food. In reading the profile of him, he sounds so upbeat and positive about the freeing effect that his experiment has had on him. Without money, he began to trust others, appreciate food, and ultimately slow down and enjoy life. I am pretty sure I would never worry about my weight or what I just ate if it took me thirty minutes just to brew a cup of tea. Rather, I think that tea would be the most delicious and savored drink ever.
Yes, the idea of this kind of excites me, but husband shouldn't worry too much (yet!) because I do not see us giving/selling off all of our posessions, home included, anytime soon.
What I can see happening though is getting really jazzed up about the awesome homemade Christmas gifts I will be giving (again?) this year ;) For those of you on my "list"- I'm pumped about this year's venture :) P.S. if you are rolling your eyes right now, then maybe you need to be moved to the naughty list? Just say the word ;)
Oh- and I almost another great thing about this story! With the money he made from selling his houseboat, he started a website called Just For the Love of It, which is a forum or social networking site that links people to the free exchange of skills sets (like learning a trade or skill), resources, and space (e.g. office space for a non-profit gathering or storage space, etc.). This site is absolutely FREE and (so far) without any scammers, frauds, or other sheisty behaviors. The site also has a neat feature where you can locate yourself on a map and then find other members within a 1-25 mile radius of you. Unfortunately, this site has yet to catch on in rural west Texas. Bigger cities are probably A-Ok. This may just be the new Craigslist/Facebook- so all of you trendy hipsters- go ahead and get in on the ground floor :)
And, last but not least, he wrote a book called, "The Moneyless Man: A Year Of Freeconomic Living," , from which the proceeds will go toward buying land and starting a "Freeconomic Community." (Kind of smacks of a doomed utopian society, but more power to him.)
So here's my question to you, (phantom) readers: Is there something you wish you could live without buying? Is there something that you are going to try to do without? Are there ways in which you have tried to simplified your life? What were your struggles and triumphs?
I'll start:
I really do not like to spend money to eat or drink outside of the house because it feels frivolous. And, the last time husband and I were on our way to a movie theater, I was so filled with guilt that we had to turn around and drive home because I could not get over feeling bad about spending $20 to see a movie, when that $20 could be better used in other ways or given to a charity. Even though I really like Clinique facial products and fancy shampoo, I have been reaching for the dime-store variety for the past few years because it just seems like too much to spend. (haha.. I can see a post coming soon about Balance. And by balance I mean, balancing out all the other hundred things I "splurge" on for the sake of quality, health, dignity, etc.)
Yes, the idea of this kind of excites me, but husband shouldn't worry too much (yet!) because I do not see us giving/selling off all of our posessions, home included, anytime soon.
What I can see happening though is getting really jazzed up about the awesome homemade Christmas gifts I will be giving (again?) this year ;) For those of you on my "list"- I'm pumped about this year's venture :) P.S. if you are rolling your eyes right now, then maybe you need to be moved to the naughty list? Just say the word ;)
Oh- and I almost another great thing about this story! With the money he made from selling his houseboat, he started a website called Just For the Love of It, which is a forum or social networking site that links people to the free exchange of skills sets (like learning a trade or skill), resources, and space (e.g. office space for a non-profit gathering or storage space, etc.). This site is absolutely FREE and (so far) without any scammers, frauds, or other sheisty behaviors. The site also has a neat feature where you can locate yourself on a map and then find other members within a 1-25 mile radius of you. Unfortunately, this site has yet to catch on in rural west Texas. Bigger cities are probably A-Ok. This may just be the new Craigslist/Facebook- so all of you trendy hipsters- go ahead and get in on the ground floor :)
And, last but not least, he wrote a book called, "The Moneyless Man: A Year Of Freeconomic Living," , from which the proceeds will go toward buying land and starting a "Freeconomic Community." (Kind of smacks of a doomed utopian society, but more power to him.)
So here's my question to you, (phantom) readers: Is there something you wish you could live without buying? Is there something that you are going to try to do without? Are there ways in which you have tried to simplified your life? What were your struggles and triumphs?
I'll start:
I really do not like to spend money to eat or drink outside of the house because it feels frivolous. And, the last time husband and I were on our way to a movie theater, I was so filled with guilt that we had to turn around and drive home because I could not get over feeling bad about spending $20 to see a movie, when that $20 could be better used in other ways or given to a charity. Even though I really like Clinique facial products and fancy shampoo, I have been reaching for the dime-store variety for the past few years because it just seems like too much to spend. (haha.. I can see a post coming soon about Balance. And by balance I mean, balancing out all the other hundred things I "splurge" on for the sake of quality, health, dignity, etc.)
Like a Seed
Like a seed, there is potential within each of us. With the right conditions and maybe a little love, we each have the potential to not only be our best but maybe make the world a little or lot better for someone else. Seeds become growth, beauty, energy, and food in varying amounts. Some grow to be big, while some become something small. One growth may be lonely, but many together can become whole forests of shade or fields of nurishment.
This blog is the natural up-start of something that has been beginning in me for some time, a seed of something unrealized, perhaps. My "seed" may be unconventional or possibly difficult to conceive. Whatever it is, I can't help but believe it will do me well. Maybe it will change my life or that of someone else.
Ok. So what does this mean? I think it has a little to do with following the road less travelled, living prudently, giving thanks for my blessings, wanting to 'pay it forward,' respecting nature and living creatures, living my most healthy life, and very importantly: teaching my daughter about health, life, and respect through my words and actions. It is about creating a culture in our home where we each feel valued, loved, and nurtured, and then turning out into the world and living those same principles.
But really, who can know exactly what is to come from a tiny, brown seed? If my creative "vision" for this forum seems a little fuzzy- it is. That is the potential part. And just as a seed's actualization is affected by its environment, so is mine.
Here you might find recipes of healthy foods (including healthy baby/toddler/child food), homemade/healthy products, My (our?) own experiences, struggles, triumphs, views/values/opinions, and news or information relevant to these tennets.
I welcome well-intended comments, opinions, ideas, and suggestions that may inspire healthy growth and nurishing fruit.
This blog is the natural up-start of something that has been beginning in me for some time, a seed of something unrealized, perhaps. My "seed" may be unconventional or possibly difficult to conceive. Whatever it is, I can't help but believe it will do me well. Maybe it will change my life or that of someone else.
Ok. So what does this mean? I think it has a little to do with following the road less travelled, living prudently, giving thanks for my blessings, wanting to 'pay it forward,' respecting nature and living creatures, living my most healthy life, and very importantly: teaching my daughter about health, life, and respect through my words and actions. It is about creating a culture in our home where we each feel valued, loved, and nurtured, and then turning out into the world and living those same principles.
But really, who can know exactly what is to come from a tiny, brown seed? If my creative "vision" for this forum seems a little fuzzy- it is. That is the potential part. And just as a seed's actualization is affected by its environment, so is mine.
Here you might find recipes of healthy foods (including healthy baby/toddler/child food), homemade/healthy products, My (our?) own experiences, struggles, triumphs, views/values/opinions, and news or information relevant to these tennets.
I welcome well-intended comments, opinions, ideas, and suggestions that may inspire healthy growth and nurishing fruit.
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