Happy Orthodox Christmas to my Orthodox friends, surrogate family, and others,
It is a cold day once again here in North Central Iowa, but manageable because the wind, at least for the day, has abated. Today would also be the 111th birthday of my Grandmother Louise, so Happy Heavenly Birthday. I still love and miss you. Yesterday was the day, which for many elections was a rather mundane experience of our democracy, when the peaceful transfer of power, a hallmark of our country, occurred. And yet, will we ever think of it the same way again after the events in 2021? For many, probably not. However, President-elect Trump will be inaugurated the 47th President, only the second non-consecutive serving President, after Grover Cleveland. Most of us when about our business doing whatever it is we do, while in Washington, D.C. at the Capitol, many who were in the chambers four years ago, were probably reliving some of the trauma that was that day.
According to Christian tradition, yesterday, Epiphany was the day the Magi found their way to the stable in Bethlehem to worship the newborn Messiah. It was a day of light and of revelation. Often we struggle to remain hopeful, to believe in the possibilities that life offers us. The important point is not so much our propensity to act this way, but to question why we respond in this manner?
Hang in with me for a moment, but I think part of it, much of it, is our love affair with stuff. When I reflect upon some of my content, my happiest, times, it was when I had very little extra. When I was first married and living in Omaha Village with my wife, who was still in college, our little table was a 2 ft square of pressed plywood that I nailed 4x4s on for legs. We covered it with a small tablecloth. I worked two nights a week (my only nights in Blair) at the Pizza Hut, and each night I would bring a personal pan pizza home to share. The money I made in those two shifts paid for our groceries. We used coupons judiciously, and seldom did we go out. As I look back, things were okay. We had what we needed. I had been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis (eventually discovered to be Crohn’s) the year before, but I was managing reasonably at the time. The second time was when I returned to Houghton 25 years ago to complete my final degree. The move from San Antonio to Houghton had come together in a matter of hours, and being separated at the time, everything I owned, or had with me, fit in a1993 Dodge Shadow. When I returned, I spent the first couple days with a professor, her academic husband, and their four children while I attempted to secure a more permanent living situation. I was incredibly fortunate when another grad school colleague needed to take a leave and I was able to sublet her small furnished 2 bedroom cabin on the portage. All of this fell into place within a week. The cabin was sparsely furnished, but comfortable. I got bedding, basics for my kitchen, most which came from a new restaurant where I found gainful employment, and I had my books and some clothes. In fact, what I often heard, when I had visitors, was “You are kind of a minimalist.” And I responded, “I have what I need.” At the time, I had four place settings of dishes. I had one cast iron griddle and one small pot. I had some very basic cooking tools. I had a small Bose radio and CD player, and I had purchased a used Lenovo laptop. And yet I was content. I had what I needed as well as access to a computer lab. During that fall, a divorce would be finalized and what things I would receive from two houses and all our joint property would fit in a pickup truck (and as I noted to others, I did not own the truck). One might believe I was concerned about all I lost. However, the opposite held true: I felt free and unencumbered. I feel a simplicity and goodness to my life. I had what I needed.
I am continually amazed by what we collect, what we think necessary to be comfortable. This past year as I chose to move toward a bus life, I knew it was necessary to change my life to a great degree. The question now was not simply what do I need? but instead, will I use it? If I cannot imagine my using it, it needed to go away. Then there’s the space limitation. Everything I owe must fit into 102 sqft. That is a significant difference. What will I use? requires me to think and imagine. While I am not being frugal per se on my build, my being intimately involved in the process is an investment in potential cost down the road. As our country remembers a 39th President, I am reminded that President Carter was the first presidential election in which I casted a vote. During my time in the Marine Corps both the Vice President and President resigned their office. There was a struggle in terms of the moral compass of our country. The economy was in a free-fall (e.g. gasoline hit $1.00/gallon for the first time, 6-12% inflation, and interest rates of as high as 20%), and in spite of having all three elements of the legislative and execute branches, the Congress did not agree with much of what the populist President hoped to accomplish. The fact that President Carter would spend almost four more decades alive made him an anomaly both in and after his Presidency. But one word used regularly to describe him was frugal. As a child of the depression, as someone who grew up with hard work, he carried both those traits with him for the century his life would last. And yet in spite of his ability to develop global programs, hectic and his wife lived in the house he built for them the remainder of his life (there was mention that it still had shag carpeting). It seems he was the antithesis of consumerism.
Consumerism is nothing new; our free market economy is based on purchasing. Walmart did not become the largest retailer because we do not buy things. Jeff Bezos is not one of the richest people in the world because we fail to purchase things. What I believe is more significant is our buy in to the concept, “the person with the most toys wins.” This is the valorizing of our consumer persona. How many of us spend significant time on Amazon, Etsy, Temu (which I have not used, but see numerous ads for), or another online platform? I had to return two large items to Amazon just this morning. My bus build project is substantial in terms of both time and resources, but it is being paid for along the way. When it is completed, it will be paid for. I am continually reaching out and need to give a shout out to Charles Kern, to Rebecca Cosby, who have continually reached out with suggestions and inquiries. Your help means more than I have words. Thank you to Eric at Mallard Paint & Body for both his expertise and kindness in letting me work in his shop the past couple weeks, and also for getting me in contact with another business (SS Collision and Graphics) about external work on the bus. Each of you are foundational in helping me achieve my dream of creating this bus in a way that will serve me as I travel.
While I am busy, and there are moments I wonder what the heck I have done, I am excited about the progress, the process, and the learning. At while the project is involved, it is also simple. Just keep working and learning. While the completion is months away, each day I make progress, each day I learn something new, I am developing a self-sufficiency in an area completely new to me. And my life will be about managing life in a way that allows me to minimize the need to buy or collect stuff. While I have been blessed to have the ability to do this and to have stuff (more than necessary most times), I am also blessed to be able to step back and minimize it all. While I want it to be comfortable and sufficient, I want things to be simple. I am excited for the time I can sit and enjoy the sunshine.
I hope your January has begun well and thanks for reading.
Michael
thewritingprofessor55 