A conversation between two Amish young ladies, who had lived in the "regular world" beforehand. They were having a discussiong while doing an all day chore of laundry, about balencing it out in life.
"You can be English and not have a TV, but we would still need electricity for the washer if we didn't want to do all this by hand."
"And the plumbing, " added Liddy, "don't forget, the machine needs water." I had forgotten; it had been awhile since I'd used a washer. Wringing water from long aprons, we reasoned that you would need an outside job to pay for that. Maybe we could work part-time to make just enough to keep the washer and dryer going. But then, in order to get to work every day, we would need a car- that notorious consumer of oil, insurance, and repairs.
Taking sun-dried trousers off the line and into the house, we came to the conclusion that when all was said and done, a full-time outside job was needed in order to avoid doing laundry by hand."
I find it interesting that you really do need at least one full time job in the family, just to live these days. That is, have a house, running water, electricity, car insurance, gas to drive to work and the grocery store. So........if we didn't need all those things, then we would be able to live simply and not have to be a slave to a job that takes us away from our family, just so we can have a nicer house, car, etc, and then the cycle continues. Sigh.
I think the goal should be to live as simply as possible so you don't end up having to be a slave to your our things. Growing more food at home, shopping once a month instead of twice a week, fixing clothes, passing down used clothes, using less stuff, using only what you NEED to, and not more (and that means, food, clothes, power, etc.)
But then there's the fine line of what type of lifestyle you want to have or portray. Most people don't want to live in a yurt that doesn't have power or elctricity to it. Because that means, work! And there's the line. If the Amish girls choose to not do their own laundry by hand, and instead choose to get a job to pay for plumbing and power, they are still having to work to do their laundry, it's just in a different form. And that different form of work is what defines what type of lifestyle we want to have.
Sound simple, doesn't it. But we all know it's not!!
"You can be English and not have a TV, but we would still need electricity for the washer if we didn't want to do all this by hand."
"And the plumbing, " added Liddy, "don't forget, the machine needs water." I had forgotten; it had been awhile since I'd used a washer. Wringing water from long aprons, we reasoned that you would need an outside job to pay for that. Maybe we could work part-time to make just enough to keep the washer and dryer going. But then, in order to get to work every day, we would need a car- that notorious consumer of oil, insurance, and repairs.
Taking sun-dried trousers off the line and into the house, we came to the conclusion that when all was said and done, a full-time outside job was needed in order to avoid doing laundry by hand."
I find it interesting that you really do need at least one full time job in the family, just to live these days. That is, have a house, running water, electricity, car insurance, gas to drive to work and the grocery store. So........if we didn't need all those things, then we would be able to live simply and not have to be a slave to a job that takes us away from our family, just so we can have a nicer house, car, etc, and then the cycle continues. Sigh.
I think the goal should be to live as simply as possible so you don't end up having to be a slave to your our things. Growing more food at home, shopping once a month instead of twice a week, fixing clothes, passing down used clothes, using less stuff, using only what you NEED to, and not more (and that means, food, clothes, power, etc.)
But then there's the fine line of what type of lifestyle you want to have or portray. Most people don't want to live in a yurt that doesn't have power or elctricity to it. Because that means, work! And there's the line. If the Amish girls choose to not do their own laundry by hand, and instead choose to get a job to pay for plumbing and power, they are still having to work to do their laundry, it's just in a different form. And that different form of work is what defines what type of lifestyle we want to have.
Sound simple, doesn't it. But we all know it's not!!
Enjoy working with your hands!
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