a little perspective.

The other day, while searching for date-night-entertainment via Netflix Watch Instantly, Jordan and I came across a documentary called No Impact Man. It chronicled the life of a New York family who decided to go green: their goal was to have no net impact on the environment for an entire year.

This major lifestyle shift happened in stages. They started out with the simple things: buying used or handmade instead of new. Then they stopped using all non-carbon fuel based transportation (an easy thing when you live in NYC) and started a garden. Then things got a little intense: they cut the electricity.

Now, no TV isn't a big deal to me; I can handle that. No lights is a little harder, but at least you can have a million candles to get you by. But what really got me was the fridge, or lack thereof. Our fridge might be my favorite appliance in the whole house. It holds and keeps safe some of my favorite things (like ice cold water and applesauce).

I told Jordan that I didn't think I could ever do without a fridge.

And then I realized that over half of the people in the world go without one every day. They don't have nice comfy mattresses, or shoes either. Those of us who have nice houses, fully equipped with a fridge, bed, shower, stove, washer and dryer, computer and indoor plumbing are actually the minority.

And what about all those people in Japan that just lost their homes? And for some of them, their families? I doubt their thinking about how crappy life is going to be without that fridge.

In the grand scheme of things, an icebox really isn't that important.


On a lighter note... a quick reminder that today is the last day to enter the giveaway. Check it.

3 comments:

  1. hey thanks for that reminder. i should see that movie. and donate to the red cross. perspective is a realllly good thing.

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  2. Great post. You are a insightful writer. Keep up the good work!

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  3. I love this post. I think the world would a much better place if we all thought about things like this more often.

    Thanks for sharing.

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You are wonderful.