Sunday, August 29, 2010

Back to Basics featuring Etsian apronsrecycled

My inspiration for this blog post comes from Valerie herself. I know her as apronsrecycled on Etsy.  Down in the etc. part of the forums we were discussing why SilverFirFarms does not need a cable subscription.  Valerie's response was by far the most convincing to me.





"apronsrecycled says:
Sounds that you carefully select, devoid of advertisements, will greatly enhance your peace and calm.

You can listen to CDs, expand your collection by trading with friends or signing them out of the library, or you can buy CDs of all kinds for 90 cents and $1.91 at most thrift stores.

You can make your own mix of what you have, one for housecleaning at a fiendish rate, others for calming before nap time, still others for working on your projects. Headphones or Ipod staions with speakers.

You can get recorded books on CD and listen to history, mysteries, famous speeches, novels, classics, the bible or Koran or Talmud, or put in language CDs and pick up the sound of another land.

You can have friends who play a musical instrument record you an hour of their sounds, loan them a cassette recorder.

You can record for yourself the beach, the carnival, the H.S. baseball game, the parade as it goes by, the baby being happy, your grandmother telling you a family story, the crickets at night. All are the cost of a tape.

If you need noise in the house, get a couple of birds, bell the cat, talk to the dog, sing, play music.

I find even a little television time, or "popular" magazines, leave me feeling inadequate and agitated. I can't buy a car, go on a cruise, fly to vegas, purchase designer clothing or ride in a car worth as much as the house I rent. I don't nightclub, I don't need a criminal lawyer, I don't want cosmetic surgery, I don't want to go to college (again).





So shutting those advertisements out of my life help a great deal for my peace and happiness. I don't have a ringing phone, people leave a message and I check them when I feel like it, but it is silent at all times.

I sing while I pin clothes on the line, while I load the dishwasher, a book on tape makes a long tedious sewing task fly by. I often have a friend come for the afternoon with their handwork and we sit together and share and talk while our hands are busy.

Getting rid of the TV means you will have to substitute other things. But those things, I feel, are healthier for you mentally and physically.
"

I found myself relating to Valerie's need for peace.  For less mind clutter.  We as a society are so stressed... are we stressing ourselves out with too much unnatural noise?

Here's a few lovely pieces from Valerie's shop, apronsrecycled.




I love how the apron is wide and wraps around the sides.





I am always looking for attractive ways to reduce my paper product consumption.




Tired of spending money on those swiffer duster thingies that you just throw away?  Money in the garbage... well this dust cover for your swiffer will last for years, instead of throwing it in the trash you just throw it in the laundry.  Buy 2 or 3 and you'll always have a clean one ready for use.

Thank you Valerie for giving us a glimpse into your quest for internal peace and reminding us to value the basics like, music, nature, talking with friends, hearing children play.

So I encourage everyone to think about taking one step towards a more peaceful life by turning off the unnatural noises in your life... at least for a little while this week.

4 comments:

  1. Valerie is one of the most genuine, kind-hearted, lovely people on Etsy.

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  2. Hi, Jo!
    would you please come over to my blog ? :)

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  3. I truly agree with cutting out the non essential noises, I endure the small amount of time my husband has the television on and the minute I can I shut it off. We got rid of cable tv over 2 years ago, and at first it was almost like a withdrawal from a drug. But I am so much happier in allowing only the things *I* want into my ears.. constant bombardment of our psyches with all the commercial gimmicks warps our sense of reality. It steers us away from who we really are.

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  4. Cat, I'm glad for you. so glad that you found some much needed peace.

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