Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Dishwashing muse

I was in a rush today to come home from mom's Bible study and get lunch for Cory together and then go meet at some friends house to eat. But Cory was still sleeping (Brian's home sick so Cory stayed home with him for nap time) so I did the dishes while I was waiting.

Crunchy Domestic Goddess is having a gathering of people who promise to take less than 5 minute showers all summer. I'm not sure I could do that every day, but I can do it most days. Especially now with my short hair.

We've never had a water shortage here that has affected me. I don't waste water willingly, but one thing that I sometimes think about is washing dishes. I leave the water running while I'm rinsing dishes to put in the dishwasher. I wonder how much more than one sink full of water I use?

That got me thinking about living without running water.

Somewhere along the way my brain wondered if the Amish have running water and how they do their dishes.

That made me think about how when people hear "Amish" they think of the lifestyle, although it is also a religion.

Then I wondered if people think the same way about Quakers, which is also a religion and a lifestyle although not nearly as extreme as the Amish.

Now, I think people can tell the Amish by their lifestyle. Can they tell me by my lifestyle? I consider myself an "honorary" Quaker having married into a half Quaker family and attending a Quaker (Friends) church while in college. I really enjoyed it and wish there was a Friends church around here.

People can tell a lot about others by their lifestyle. What does my lifestyle say about me?

We were talking this morning in mom's Bible study about how we use our money to make us happy (even when we don't realize it). What we do with our money says a lot about our lifestyle. Some of that people see (designer clothes, fancy cars, etc.) and some of it people don't, but we know what we do with it.

I want my lifestyle to say that I'm honoring God first, then others, then myself last. I wonder if it does...

What does your lifestyle say about you?

2 comments:

  1. I think our lifestyle says we are earth-conscientous people with a connection to nature and a concern for the future of our planet. We don't spend our money to buy fancy things, but rather, we often spend it on learning experiences or on things that improve our little corner of the Earth or help us use fewer resources. We buy plants, seeds and tools that we use to conserve and feed wildlife and ourselves. We eat what we raise and what we sow and are always looking for ways to use a little less.

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  2. Anonymous2:16 AM

    I can take a shower in 5 minutes in the summer here in Dubai because the tap water is too hot to linger!

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