Many of us have reminders or personal notes on our refrigerators. Along with vibrant artwork of children. My children, and even my grandchildren, no longer gift me with their creative displays. Hope springs eternal that more children will populate my life. They do require a lot of time and focus, but in my opinion they are the best kind of people – honest, open-hearted, loving and questioning.
But I digress.
I have 3 reminders that have been taped to my fridge for years. Every once in a while they have to be rewritten because they are important to me. These are deeply meaningful to me, and they caught my eye this morning.
This first one was told to me by the father of a delightful and caring woman who was in my son’s life quite a few years ago.
Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
Do without
These words say a great deal to me and about me.
I am wired somehow not to waste things, including food, clothing, jars, plastic bags, cardboard boxes, rubber bands, twist ties, etc. I am one who saves scrap paper rather than purchasing notebooks. For me, part of growing vegetables in my garden is to make sure they are weeded, picked in their prime, and served up on someone’s table. If I am seeking some item of clothing, furniture, or a cooking pot, I first check the local thrift shops. And anything we no longer need goes there for re-use by others.
I pride myself in having a small footprint. This was a concept I ran across in my 20s, long before concerns about global warming. But they do align with respect for Mother Earth and not littering.
I have long recognized that our world is full of manufactured crap and most people have somehow been programmed to buy, buy, buy and casually throw away pretty much everything. Things, especially cars and clothes, must look good! They represent us! To me this is a tragic state of affairs – to let these things define and represent us.
We are not things. We are amazing beings. Our words and our actions are what truly represent us. Anyone can see this, especially a child.
My parents did not feel that keeping up with the Jones’s was their mission in life. For this I thank them.
I look like the weird kid in school class photos. I didn’t smile properly, I didn’t focus, my hair was not quite right, nor were my clothes. This disturbed me mildly for many years, but today I know who I am and none of that is what matters to me.
What matters is the way I treat others …and the wisdom I carry …and how I conduct myself. This is what I have been honing all my life, not having the most and the “best” stuff.
If you visit my house, it won’t be fancy. It contains favorite things that express who we are and it allows some space.
My husband is a lot like me, although he does like his vehicle to be perfect. I see him loosening up a bit, though, these days. His truck has some tools in disarray behind the seats the back – and a few rust spots!
I hesitated to share this message today. But the mission given to me was to write the contents of my soul. My 3 pieces refrigerator wisdom that have been with me for many years definitely qualify.
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8 hummingbird way 
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