Quote of the Day

If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability. -Henry Ford

I stumbled across this saying in someone else's blog and loved it; it gets to the core of my belief system. We have become so accustomed to buying convenience, whether it be in terms of what we clean our homes with, what we eat, wear, and the items we use daily, that nobody thinks of doing these things themselves. In fact, if I had a dime for each person who said "why are you making soap? you can buy it cheaply at the store!" I'd be able to retire.

Of course it can be purchased cheaply at the store; that's not the point. I like the fact that it's not purchased and that I made it with my own 2 hands. I like the independence and feeling of self-sufficiency as well as the creative process - being able to control what ingredients are in it, the color (or lack of), the scent and shape.

We can pay someone to do just about anything around the house, from cleaning it to taking care of the yard, repairs and even shopping and cooking. Life becomes less stressful, allowing us more time to work. But what's wrong with this picture? When did making money to pay someone else to do things for us become the goal?

This may just be my way of rationalizing our way of life because I'm unable to work, but I'd like to think that even if I was in perfectly good health I'd be following this path. There will always be things either Joe or I are unable to do: electrical, plumbing and major home repairs. But a small garden to grow some fresh summer veggies, making our own cleaning supplies, hanging out the laundry and tackling small projects around the house are all within our grasp. Sometimes we may need to do a bit of research online to figure out how to do something, but once we have learned a new skill and completed a task we are rewarded with a feeling of Independence and accomplishment that paying someone to do it can never provide.