Gifts of the Earth

I used to buy things when I wanted them. I thought access to cash either now or in the future justified the fulfillment of my ever shifting desires. I had the "Isn't It Cute? Syndrome" which would take me directly to the Cash Register, I would sometimes get an emotional rush when I heard the "Ka Ching" on big sales days, the Clerk would package it up and I would take the new Treasure Home.

That Little Home up North was Empty when we moved in 1976; it was increasingly filled with Stuff. Within 10 to 15 years, I had so much Stuff that I "rotated my Stock". Those items which were in the "off season" were stored in bins in the basement or any place else which offered up space. I thought I was so smart.

All these things happened when I was a young to middle adult. I somehow had this notion that my Purpose on the Planet was to acquire Stuff. At the time, I had boundless energy for carrying things and moving things around. We had good jobs which seemed to require a certain Material Front. It didn't say that in the contract. Somehow I was under the influence of "keeping up with the Joneses", whoever they were. I was fixated on the acquisition of things.

I never thought about where the products came from. I just thought they came from the Store. And I carried them from the Store to my House, where most of them quickly faded in their glory and their ability to hold my attention.

Over time, something began to shift. I started to see that my material treasures came not from some Retail Outlet but rather from the Bounty of the Earth. I began to think that I should be saying "Thank you to the Earth" and all beings who had a hand in my acquisitions. These things cost more than Cash.

One of the 1st areas to ask for my Humble Attention was "paper". Perhaps it was the Trees or even the Creator who began to speak to me. I would look at the Paper which I used profusely as a Teacher and Writer. I began to see it as a "Gift from Trees". When I used it, I began to say: "Thank you, Trees."

Yes, I was recycling. But even before recycling, one should reduce use.

Once I saw this relationship, I began to use less. I went out of my way to print back to back, to explore Formats and Fonts which cut down on waste. Of course, I did this within reason. My Students and I needed to be able to see and use the print.

I even collected handouts at the end of the semester for which my Students had no further use. It cut down on costs. I liked this new Approach. My Students liked it too. While they did not say and I did not ask, most of them were probably going to trash or recycle those precious papers anyway.

I started to see more and more "gifts from Trees". I extended this little practice to Catalog and unneeded mailings. I periodically request about every 1-2 years that the Direct Marketing Association remove my name and that of my Family in all their variations from lists. Yes, it was like taking my life back.

When signing my name and address for anything, I query the organization: "Will you 'sell' my name? Please don't put my name on any mailing lists." At 1st, they were puzzled because such things were not mainstream. More and more, these little requests and their responses are routine. In the meantime, the Mailbox reduced its clutter and the Trees started to sigh with relief.

We cut down on magazine subscriptions. For those that we subscribed to, we passed them on to others who would enjoy them when our use was complete.

Wrapping of Gifts presented us with some challenges. In the early stages, we switched to "Gift Bags". They were spendy, adding to the cost of the Gift. Their inks and coatings suggested some chemicals that probably weren't all that healthy for the Planet too. So what should we do?

This is where we started to have fun. I remember in the 1970s Richard's Mother would wrap her Gifts at Holiday time in Brown Paper Bags. Generally her Gifts were utilitarian which was a lesson in itself. These days I look specifically to her examples and I smile. She was ahead of her time.

Several years ago, I took some Big Brown Paper Bags and painted them. I really had fun with this. They are in our "permanent collection". We just pass them back and forth each year. Other times, we wrap in fabric with ribbons. I like that. We have been known to keep wrapping paper when given to us or when we observe others are throwing it away.

We cut back on Paper Towels and Paper Napkins. We bought pretty fabrics and made Cloth Napkins. We put our Napkins on the back of our Chairs at the end of the meal. We do not wash these after every use but rather do so when the Napkins are soiled. If you are company, we will give you a fresh one, unless you stay for a while.

We did not do any of this all at once. We just followed the issues that seemed to be reaching out for our attention. Things became "Gifts of the Earth". We reduced our acquisition of things. We said "Thanks" to the Bounty of the Earth. We needed less and reaped far greater satisfaction and humility besides.