Today I want to share excerpts from an article I just read on EarthBeat by Brenna Davis, Do you have too many spatulas, too? It raises so many of the questions I’ve been asking myself for 10 years I could have written it myself – but why spend my time when she says it so well 😊. Following are some passages with a few comments from me in green.
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.” (Jn 10:41)
The average person in the United States owns over 300,000 items...
I recently realized that in our household of two, we own four spatulas. That might seem like a silly area to focus on, but the spatulas are a symptom of a bigger problem. As I mentally debated if we should get rid of two or three of them, I had a moment of clarity: I am way too attached to inconsequential things. (Happily, my own spatula count is now only 2.)
For me, and for many of us, I think this attachment comes from fear. What if one of the spatulas breaks? What if I have a potluck (in the future) and need them for serving? What if I need to fry four eggs simultaneously?
That’s a lot of unlikely what-ifs, and this experience has gotten me reflecting again on if I put my trust in God and community… If for some reason “the worst” does happen and I am left spatula-less, do I trust that “all will be well” and that my needs will be met?…
As I started looking around my house, I realized that I had a lot of extra stuff that other people might find useful…Instead of buying things because it provides a temporary feeling of happiness, I pledge to ask myself the following questions to limit my impact on the planet and to limit the number of things in my house that take time and mental energy to maintain: •
• Do I truly need this item?…
• How long do I think this item will last?…
• Are there things that I have been holding onto “just in case”? (If a real need eventually came up would it be that hard to borrow or buy it?)
ACT: Visit Freecycle, Buy Nothing Project or Nextdoor to see if there are neighborhood groups where you can post free items or request items that you need.
As we approach the high gift-giving season of Christmas most of us will get a few new things which will be precious symbols of love from our family and friends. Hang on to the reality of that love, but perhaps it can also be the prompt that frees us to let go of duplicates and evaluate the necessity other items. My next blog post will be “Uber Recycling” in which I will share samples of things I’ve recently recycled. Hopefully it will give you some new ideas and prompt you to start the new year with less.
