Are you an owner or a consumer?
This is just my two cents
Welcome to My Two Cents, an occasional postcard with two small riffs, rants, quotes, or recommendations I think you should know about.
1. There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.
A friend from Maine once told me this, and after many long, crunchy walks through the ice and snow in the frigid Northeast this winter, I can confirm it’s true.
This sleeping bag of a coat got me through the cold stretch. Every time I threw it on to run outside for firewood, I was grateful I didn’t talk myself into the cheaper option. The plentiful pockets suit my packrat nature.
And these boots are the ultimate in waterproof, fashion-backward comfort.
Prioritizing winter gear that’s comfortable and well-made has been 100% worth it and reminded me of a quote from Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard’s memoir Let My People Go Surfing:
“As individual consumers, the single best thing we can do for the planet is to keep our stuff in use longer… We live in a culture where replacement is king… These conditions create a society of product consumers, not owners. And there’s a difference.
Owners are empowered to take responsibility for their purchases—from proper cleaning to repairing, reusing, and sharing. Consumers take, make, dispose, and repeat—a pattern that is driving us toward ecological bankruptcy.”
– Yvon Chouinard
Given the context of this winter, it’s really got me thinking:
How can I spend money on things that make me an owner and caretaker, not just a consumer?
Is there something that you’ve decided to “own” instead of just “consume?” Let me know in the comments.
2. “We give our children our genes and our love, and we don’t have any idea of what, in the end, they’ll do with them.”
– Nicholas Thompson, The Running Ground
I just finished this beautiful book about a son who follows in his father’s path as a runner, but tries to avoid his father’s mid-life meltdown. (The author is the CEO of The Atlantic.)
He says, “We give our children our genes and our love, and we don’t have any idea of what, in the end, they’ll do with them.”
To Thompson’s quote, I would add that we can also teach our children how to be good with money and we won’t have any idea of how, in the end, they’ll spend it. Which is fine as long as we’ve taught them how to spend it well.
Until next time,
Dan
We are owners by caring for what we have and fixing things when we can. I also pick up things secondhand when possible through ebay or trade type of groups (this is how I ended up with my beloved standing desk with treadmill attached that I use almost daily)!! When life changes and a "thing" doesn't work for us any more, we give it away to a friend or someone who can use it. I really love thinking of it this way, as ownership. We gave part of our lives through time at work or however we had to acquire things, so we should own them.
I love to read but for the most part, I check books out from the library or places like Hoopla/ Libby app. There are times I purchase a book IF I have a strong connection with it. My parents, grandparents, great grandparents did the same thing. It's evident in the books that they handed down. A side note: My everyday socks are from "Darn Tough Socks... guaranteed for life". Check out their website!