i don't know if its because i'm getting older and there is less of life ahead of me, then behind me, but i've been pondering what is really important in my life. somehow the accumulation of 'stuff' doesn't seem so important anymore. i can remember wanting a bigger and better house, better appliances, best floors, faster car, nice clothes, rings and more rings. my goal was to achieve all those things and more. funny, but those things did not really come to pass. some folks seem to have 'stuff' dropped in their laps, others struggle and strain to get it, others never get it.
honestly, 'better stuff' is not that important anymore. we live in a trailer - if you had told me that i would, in my later years, live in a trailer i would have been mortified! and believe me, i've heard all the 'trailer trash' jokes. it needs new floors, the washer and dryer on the way out, the cupboards are outdated. sometimes we wander through the building supply stores and look at the all the 'stuff' we could do to the trailer. i realized this last time, that i would be happy with the cheaper version of whatever we need - it doesn't seem to make sense to buy the best and most expensive anymore. and the bottom line is - i'm happy living in our trailer, i love my garden and my yard. i can't justify spending excessive amounts of money when i know that what i have would be considered a mansion in other countries.
for many years we traveled to a little village in Costa Rica. every time i think i need the best, i think of how the folks there live. little wooden shacks, some even made of black poly - no running water, no electricity, no fridges......need i say more. i can't even imagine what they would think of our homes (including trailers). would they be appalled at our need for bigger and better??? all they want is a decent roof over their head..
my daugher carolyn has an ambitious plan to help build homes in Amparo, Costa Rica. not huge, fancy homes - just a basic concrete block structure with a couple of rooms (one for cooking and living, one for sleeping). its sounds like a crazy idea, but haven't most great things sounded crazy at first? it sounds like an impossible idea, but haven't most great things sounded impossible at first?
i don't know where to go with this - i just know that i need to make some changes and ask God how i can help..... old habits die hard, i know. but hopefully i can learn to make wiser choices if and when making purchases. imagine how many houses the extra money saved could build???
just imagine...
CAROLYN'S BLOG
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i know exactly what you mean. each time i came back from costa rica i looked at my 2300 sqft house with just me living in it and thought of mimi & patricio and the boys living in their house, never mind abuelita in her bamboo/plastic house with her 3 great-grandchildren. i'd look around my house at ornaments, pictures, everything and wonder why i spent as much money as i did on things or why i bought them in the first place. things lost their value to me. it was SO-O easy to leave everything behind. i had a china cabinet full of china. now it's full of pictures. i've had the same towel for about 20 years or more. i don't know what happened to the 2 sets of new green and blue towels that i had before i left but like everything else that i had before i left that's gone now - i haven't replaced anything and it's been 2 1/2 years so i obviously haven't needed them.
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