We are all afraid of the Wolf. Because sooner or later he's whining and scratching at the front door. And we may not recognize him at first, but eventually we let him in. The Wolf is the bad times, the negatives, the evils that we allow into our lives. All the things that we fear and dread and worry about. The Wolf is all the things...physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, and most importantly financial...that keep us from living the lives we want. I want to focus today on the financial. Having money in the bank isn't necessarily insurance against the huffing and puffing. Remember the Lloyd's of London fiasco? Remember the Wall Street Kaboom? For most of us, the Wolf's arrival is less dramatic..but no less traumatic. My tale may not get mentioned in newspapers...the decision to focus on my health rather than my career, thus reducing our incomes from two to one; the rising cost of health care, for which I am uninsured; the stack of bills on my desk that require immediate resources (due mostly to the fact that we like to eat, have running water, and cool air conditioning); or the persistent and ongoing legal battle that sucks whatever is remaining. Poverty is always experienced in the soul before it is felt in the pocketbook.
I work very hard to keep the Wolf at bay. I attempt to scratch out a lifestyle for us despite our bank account. I try to never reduce myself to merely existing , whatever our circumstances. I do this by not running scared when the Wolf arrives threatening to blow my house down. I am learning to outsmart, catch, and cook the Wolf. By concentrating on what I have....a good glass of wine, a good loaf of bread, a beautiful sunset, lively conversation, loving relationships. I am learning that the good life does not depend on extravagance...
Case in point: in 1932, during the darkest days of the Great Depression, Scott and Helen Nearing abandoned life in New York City to become modern day pioneers in Vermont. They were socialists, pacifists, and vegetarians (mostly just like me!) and they were determined to create a completely self-sufficient lifestyle that was solely dependent on their wits, hard work, and perseverance. They went in search of the good life..what they considered to be "simplicity, freedom from anxiety, and an opportunity to be useful and live harmoniously." So, they drank only water, juices, and herbal brews and consumed little more than raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and excessive quantities of popcorn (I haven't figured that one out yet.). There was no salt, sugar, tea, coffee, dairy products, or eggs in their pantry..and naturally they didn't smoke or drink alcohol. They succeeded in homesteading, wrote several books on the subject, and both lived to be 100.
Now, I am hardly saying that I can reduce our lifestyles to match the Nearings...no coffee? No alcohol? Be serious. But perhaps the secret to the good life is not a TV in every room, the latest fashions in my closet, and a new car in my driveway. Perhaps I need only follow the advice Helen shared in her memoir:
- Do the best you can, whatever arises.
- Be at peace with yourself.
- Find a job you enjoy.
- Live in simple conditions: housing, food, clothing. Get rid of clutter.
- Connect with nature everyday: feel the earth under your feet.
- Take physical exercise through hard work: plant a garden, clean the house, walk the dog.
- Don't worry: live one day at a time.
- Share something every day with someone else: feed your family, write letters, help others.
- Take time to wonder at life and the world: find humor where you can.
- Observe the one life in all things: give thanks to the Creator.
- Be kind to the everything and everyone: man and beast.
XOX
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