Faithful Nest

There once was a time when we were responsible for ourselves and all our stuff. This is not a fairy tale, it’s once was, not once upon. Before dumpsters and garbage trucks and flushing toilets, we were accountable.

One valued each item in their possession. Of course, possessions were much fewer in number. Store bought items were a special trip and expense of money that was hard won. Home made items took skill and time to create. One did not dial up the blue smirk and have boxes of widgets delivered the next day (or next hour).

Think of a time when you had to wait for the joy of fulfillment. How long ago was that? As a child, did you anticipate the red-suited elf and his reindeer delivery? Have you saved to make a down payment on a house? Delayed gratification is now a matter of how long you wait for the delivery to show up.

I was contemplating how this started. When did we begin turning from careful purchases and sparse belongings to the accumulation of stuff? I think it’s the toilets! What a wonderful convenience it was, such a revelation! Not only do we save the trip outdoors in all weather, but we flush the unsavory away.

For thousands of years we were faced with our own refuse. If one created a mess, that person (and any others nearby) dealt with the unsightly and its unsavory odor until it was cleaned up. This stretched into all aspects of life from cooking to personal hygiene to profession. Frankly, reusing materials onhand not only saved the effort of aquiring new, but reduced waste. Waste that would have to be taken care of.

During this time, populous areas would be located near water. Necessary to life, cooking, and washing, bodies of water were even valuable for transportation. Clean, fresh water was more easily transported a short distance to whatever or whoever needed it. Basic plumbing. Fast forward many years.

Once the toilet came along, we became comfortable with the idea of sending things away. People living in cities must have rejoiced the development of garbage removal. Imagine cleaner streets and air. Packing increasing numbers of people into areas made it possible for division of labor. Yes, that would lead to assembly lines. Residents would not have space to grow their own food, so barter moves up the ladder to exchange of funds. Now we need packaging.

How handy to have rubbish removal. Toss that packaging into a container, haul it to a communal point for burying or hauling. Now it is “gone.” But is it? No, we all know it is not gone from the earth, just gone from our vicinity. So quickly we forget. Until…

Eventually we need to pay the piper. Superfund landfill sites and garbage islands in the oceans remind us we are caretakers. Away is not gone. Did we listen? Now we have micro-plastics in our bodies. You really aren’t that surprised, are you? When is the last time you bought food that wasn’t in plastic? Me, either.

This simply underscores our need to make new habits. I don’t know what you need to do to cut down on plastic use and waste generation. I just hope you look into it and find something every day.