What Good Is A House? March 9, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Life Balance, Nature, Sustainable Living.comments closed
I expect it started back in the fifties, when the family gathered around one black and white set with rabbit ears.
Television in US (in Public Domain)
Advertisers began to brainwash Americans into believing they would not achieve success and happiness in life without a house, 2.5 kids, and a car in the driveway.
Over time, the requisite house got bigger, costing more to heat and cool, and requiring more stuff to fill rooms that are only used once in a blue moon.
Advertisers encouraged the “me mentality” in Americans by urging consumers to buy, buy, buy ~ buy often, buy better, and buy more.
Case in point: Bathrooms and Kitchens.
At first, having a master bath was the utmost in luxury. Then bathrooms needed twin sinks because consumers only promised to love, honor and cherish, they never promised to share a sink.
Then the bathroom needed to be large enough to host a debutante ball, or play croquet, or both.
Of course, once homeowners have the requisite number of baths, and sinks, they are urged to upgrade the countertops in both kitchens and baths ~ first, to formica, then laminate, then solid surface, then granite.
And, of course, the appliances absolutely must be upgraded from avocado, to white, to black, to stainless.
Do consumers who unconsciously buy into this “more is better” mindset realize that there are people on the planet who don’t even have a bathroom sink?
That some people would feel fortunate just to have indoor plumbing?
That others would be delighted if they could get water for cooking without walking for miles?
If we are to save this precious planet, we need to start thinking for ourselves, rather than mindlessly buying into advertising schemes.
Of course, maybe the tide is turning . . .
Enough consumers are now voting with their wallets that manufacturers are starting to make “green” claims for their products, networks are airing “green” shows, and movie producers are bragging when they make a film with a zero carbon footprint.
It’s a start.
Perhaps people will finally find it chic to “go green.”
After all, “What good is a house, if you haven’t got a decent planet to put it on?” ~ Henry David Thoreau
No rules. Just write!
Claim What Isn’t . . . March 9, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Magick & Mystery, Poetry.comments closed
Our thoughts create our future:
Conceive it
Believe it
Achieve it.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
We have the innate ability to become all that we dream
We can create the future, it’s not as hard as it might seem
To become who you aspire to be, to make your dreams come true
See yourself as you desire to be, think of the good you will do
Claim what isn’t, as if it were, until it becomes
We can be all we want to be, see it and it will be done
Set goals, direct your actions, envision what you will achieve
Satisfying goals is easy, all you have to do is believe
Tell yourself you’re good enough, believe that that is true
And soon you’ll act in ways that satisfy all ~ even you
Claim what isn’t, as if it were, until it becomes
We can be all we want to be, see it and it will be done
Cultivate your strengths, don’t worry about the past
Enjoy what life has to offer, this magical moment won’t last
The future is on the way, it’s just around the bend
Your dreams will come true, because the Universe is your friend
Claim what isn’t, as if it were, until it becomes
We can be all we want to be, see it and it will be done
No rules. Just write!
Please Leave A Message At The B*E*E*P March 9, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Less IS More, People, Word Play.comments closed
Family, friends, health, happiness ~ these cherished possessions make life worth living and celebrating.
But they’re not the focus of this post.
This post addresses one of my favorite things ~ our answering machine ~ because it frees up time for more important pursuits.
Like celebrating life.
BFF and I appreciate modern conveniences, but when a gizmo or gadget goes on the blink, we don’t rush out to replace it.
We take our time and shop around, looking for the “greenest” product with the features we needed.
Not so, with our answering machine.
Some people have “people” to field out the crackpots for them. We have our answering machine.
Some people have caller ID. We have our answering machine.
Some people delight in talking to whomever is at the other end of the line. We have our answering machine.
We screen our calls . . . all the time.
The phone rings, and we don’t even hear it ~ its ringing no longer causes us to salivate like Pavlov’s dogs.
Instead, we wait for the message at the beep, to decide whether it’s someone we wish to speak with, and whether it’s a good time to answer their summons.
Since we heard our outgoing message every time we received a call, it got old fast ~ like listening to the adults in Charlie Brown cartoons (wah, wah, wah, wah . . . wah, wah).
To keep things fresh, we updated our outgoing message frequently:
* Please leave a message. Maybe we’ll call you back . . . or maybe not.
* If you don’t leave a message, we’re telling on you.
* Stop calling us! Can’t you see we’re busy???
* Leave a message at the beep, or hang up without a peep. Suit yourself.
* Have I told you today . . . you’re my favorite?
* Leave us alooooone! ~ the last word drawn out for six extra beats.
We loved the last one the best.
Unwanted callers (telemarketers and salespeople) who routinely hung up without saying a word would start talking ~ perhaps they couldn’t believe anyone would record such an anti-social out-going message. Since they thought it was me talking to them in real time, they talked back.
We replayed their confused messages for amusement. Don’t condemn us. We lived on a remote island ~ no movie theatres, bowling alleys, bars, restaurants, clubs, libraries, or pool halls. Like people in the frontier days, we had to provide our own entertainment.
We rely on our answering machine to act as a buffer between us and the rest of the world. It’s our friend and ally.
* No longer do I have to rush to answer the phone, naked and dripping wet after a shower.
* Nor do I have to jump up and grab the receiver if I’m in the middle of chopping onions, or watching my bread machine kneading dough.
* I don’t have to miss the end of a show to catch a call from someone who wants to sell me a funeral plot, when I plan to be cremated.
In short, I don’t have to interrupt my life to deal with the outside world on its timetable.
When the power goes out, and the phone rings, I freeze. To answer, or not to answer, that is the question . . .
I generally choose the latter option, and let them call back later.
Quote: Freedom lies in being bold. ~ Robert Frost
No rules. Just write!
Spirit Lights The Way 