Friday, May 7, 2010

Are you Producing or Buying your life?

"Radical Homemakers are aware of the misplaced priority on increasing the bottom line. Quite often their incomes are significantly below the norm. But that is because they have learned that there are two ways to make a living. In one method, the convention of our culture, substantial money is earned and then spent on purchasing life's necessities. In the other method, significantly less money is earned, and basic necessities are produced or otherwise procured. Packages from the mall, plastic-wrapped food, designer labels and television sets are seldom seen inside these households. Rather, they are filled with books, simmering pots, some dirty dishes, musical instruments, seedlings, wood shavings, maybe some hammers or drills, sewing machines, knitting baskets, canned peaches and tomato sauce, jars of sauerkraut, freezers with hunted or locally raised meat, and potted herbs. Outside the door there are no multiple new cars or manicured lawns. Whether in the country or the city, one is likely to find a garden plot or potted tomatoes, fruit trees, bicycles, probably a used car, shovels, spades, compost bins, chickens, maybe a wandering goat or some other livestock, and laundry blowing in the breeze. These people are producing their life, not buying it."
~Radical Homemakers,p. 208 


Thanks to Amber at Unstuffed for sharing this quote.

2 comments:

Lori said...

more and more i am producing my own life

i never was one to pay someone else to do something that i could very well do myself

i have a long way to go but i continue to remind myself that every step counts

my house is a little small and we don't have all the latest tech gadgets or brand new furniture, etc. but it's filled with love, creativity, good food and comfort

Tony R. said...

Every step does count! We try and plan long term and take our time getting there.

Each season we are learning more and more about how to live gently.