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Friday, October 19, 2012

Samhain Musings

I will not eat until I'm hungry
I will not eat until I'm hungry
I will not eat until I'm hungry

A dieters mantra to hamper overeating. This stuck in my head today nagging me, making me realize that gluttony takes up so much of our lives. We're so afraid of running out, so afraid of not getting our share we take before we need to ensure we get our due.

Isn't that part of the American dream? Aren't we supposed to get what's owed to us? No one's going to give it to us so we've got to be proactive and take care of ourselves. We call it being prepared and pat ourselves on the back if we've figured out how not to run out of something.

This is so much part of our daily lives that the average person has no patience, has no real understanding of need or want. We throw out phrases like "I have to have that" referring to some hot new techno gadget or pair of shoes forgetting entirely about the perfectly good merchandise we have at home.

How would our lives be different if every once in a while we stopped looking for the next best thing to replace what we already have. How much money would we save if we took the time to appreciate the things we've already spent money on, or better yet the pleasures that are free. So then we're left with a new mantra, I will not take until I need. Say that to yourself a few times. How does it taste, how does it feel on your tongue. Frightening or freeing? I have to admit it leaves me with a mixture of both, but in today's society it's simply seen as irresponsible.

These are the types of thoughts that cling to my brain like spiderwebs to your face, especially at this time of the year. The time of year that calls us to remember times and loved ones passed. The people before us who perhaps knew a little better about waiting, who new a little bit more about need, or want.

My meme (french for grandmother) buys toilet paper and coffee like it's going out of style harboring a secret fear of them running out. It's clear to see that this is the generation that bore our current "got to have" society. The difference being that having more than they needed was for them a matter of self preservation and for us simply the way things have always been.

Luckily my meme is still with us but her laundry room stuffed with Folgers and Scott paints a picture of great grandparents I've never even met looking over her shoulder as she shops, breathing in her ear that she never knows when she'll run out. For me that's the spirit of Samhain. Not just honoring our ancestors but really and truly honoring their lives and the things they've taught us.

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