Almost there...Almost there...

"Almost there...Almost There..."
Yes, that is a Star Wars quote, so bonus to anyone who can identify where it came from (just leave a comment below). In some ways it sums up this last week as our "Thirty Days of Almost Nothing" challenge nears it completion this week. I thought I would share a few last thoughts from this journey, a few things that I have learned and what I might take away from the experience.

Firstly, I realized that it was not that big a deal. I think that we had been trying to introduce some of these principles already, although not as consciously or dramatically. This may be due,in part, to the fact that I have a bit of a cheap streak. But more importantly, I think this is because I have an amazing wife who has been trying her hardest to manage this crazy zoo we call the McGibbon home. It didn't come as quite the shock to our lifestyle that it could have.

I learned that mending is cool! We throw out so much these days and seek to repair so little. I know that in many cases, sadly, it is more economical to replace things than to repair them, and that many things are manufactured in a way that they just can't be repaired. But there are some things that we can mend. I learned how to mend my favourite pair of Jeans (well ok, I had my mother in law do it, but I found out how and passed a web site along to her) on line : mend jeans.
It was great. It had all the excitement of getting a new pair of jeans, but ones that you already know fit amazingly and were worked in perfectly - Christmas in September without the credit card bill in January!!!!

I realized coffee is a complex issue - from addiction to fair trade, cheap to gourmet, politics to economy, feast to famine, necessity or small blessing the topic is vast in breadth and depth! It will have me thinking for sure.

I was reminded that Grandparents have a lot of wisdom to share, and experience to teach from. We in North America may have a lot to learn from other cultures who manage to revere and respect the wisdom of the elders more intentionally than we do. When my mother told my Grandmother about our challenge, my grandmother looked slightly confused and asked "why would you buy something if you didn't really need it." My grandparents have lived like this their whole lives, and they didn't need to turn it into some grand experiment in order to do it. They knew a time when circumstances made this lifestyle a means of survival, and have not been swayed by the changing tide of commercialism or consumerism (aside from perhaps the Canadian Tire flyer...but even at that my grandfather was the first to notice when they lowered the percentage on the dollar for the Canadian Tire money incentive). My grandparents are also incredibly aware of how they use other resources. I was reminded of the time that the Hydro company came and replaced the water meter on their home because Hydro thought it was broken. My Grandfather told them that it was not broken, but they insisted. As it turns our my grandfather was right and the meter was fine. My grandparents just use so little water that the hydro company couldn't believe that the meter was working properly.

I have been challenged to make things this month and have loved the opportunity to be creative. I think it is an opportunity to live in imitation of the Creator God, whom we love and serve.

The last thing that I have been thinking about is hospitality, people and celebration. We managed to celebrate a wedding, our anniversary, host a last minute meal for my brother, his new wife and her brother, as well as having our usual group of about 15 people over for dinner each Thursday. In each case, there would have been a last minute scurrying to buy things, a desire to show ourselves well and thus buy things to do so, and a well intentioned hope to serve and please people that again led to last minute purchases. We learned however, to be a bit more organized and plan ahead limiting some of the last minute, costly impulse purchases. We learned to use what we have and be creative. There were some purchases to be made, but we did well and had fun finding used alternatives and making them work. The greatest lesson however, was that we got less caught up in the externals and focus more on the important things. We really connected with, shard with and celebrated with the people in our lives. Focusing less on the other things made more time and energy to focus on people. I was reminded of how many times in the gospels that Jesus was visiting with people, meeting in homes, sharing meals with people and celebrating. I can't think of many examples in which the room decor was mentioned, whether there was matching silver ware or even what food was served. We are told about the people, what Jesus was teaching or how he invested in there lives. Serving, loving and showing hospitality really is about sharing your life with others. It is about people. It has been easier to remember that this month.

So those are just some of the thoughts from this month. I am interested to see how they will affect our lives and decisions in the upcoming months now that the challenge is over.