"Lord, this humble house we'd keep, sweet with play and calm with sleep. Help us so that we may give beauty to the lives we live. Let Thy bounty and Thy grace shine upon our dwelling place." E. A. Guest

Thursday

The 'green' thing

 
In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized to him and explained, "We didn't have the green thing back in my day."
The clerk responded "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right, that generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn't have the green thing back in that customer's day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she was right. They didn't have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220-volts - wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand new clothing.

But that old lady is right; they didn't have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house - not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen they blended and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she's right; they didn't have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn't have the green thing back then.Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?

(sent via email circulation)

5 comments:

  1. I don't particularly like to be called 'green'. Instead, I like the fact that I am simple and care for this earth that My Creator has gifted all of us.

    I just found you! Why didn't you tell me? ;-)

    Mrs. M.

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  2. Hi Trish, love the new blog.
    I like to do 'the green thing' whenever I can ,But I seem to fall off the green wagon a lot. Still if I keep trying I just might be a good greenie one day. I have to believe that every little bit of effort helps the planet.
    I think the poem is terrific -- a lot to think about.
    God Bless
    Barb from Australia

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  3. This is a great post.

    I have read a few posts about this very thing lately. Just like everything else, simple living has a brand name..."green".

    Not sure what my grandmother would have thought of this...

    Best wishes,

    Tania

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  4. Thanks for stopping by my blog. I love this post! I shared parts of it with my father in law. He couldn't agree more! Have a great day.

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  5. This is so true! Isn't it amazing how much more complicated life has gotten with all the modern technology and inventions? Not like I am old enough to remember "the way things used to be", but I do have a sense of "how things used to be" lol.

    How did I not know you had a new blog???

    Love,
    Mrs. Q

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