"When you embrace Lady Liberty, life becomes easier, cheaper, and much more fun," so says Tom H. in Freedom Manifesto. The path to liberation in 2010 has not been so easy so far. It's not because our abstinence from the world of consumption has been difficult. Other than momentarily coveting my friend Allison's new slouchy brown boots, I've not really cared about purchasing new things. But for whatever reason unplugging hasn't happened fast enough for my taste.
For example, I come home from a lovely dinner this evening to find a sopping wet phone book on my door step. While I appreciate any good litigation lawyer's attempt to woo me with his floppy oversized telephone book cover while I'm trying to find a decent dentist, I resent having to peel the gooey plastic off the book, wait for it to dry, then put it in the recycling bin. This is a dumb rant, I recognize, and Lord knows I don't want this to become a ranting blog ("And what's the deal with phone books?!) but it's an example of the minutiae from which I'm trying to unplug. Is it even possible to do so? Well, one step at a time. I just went to http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org and requested that I never receive telephone books again. Hooray, I saved a tree! Now you go save one too! Stick it to those jerkwads who name their beautiful businesses things like AAA Cheesemaking and Aardvark Framers just to secure a front page seat!
But as I was saying, not consuming has been pretty easy. (I've started getting whiffs of early spring trends, and there's not a piece I've seen so far that can't be snuffed out with a vintage-inspired cotton fabric and a Vogue pattern. Suck it, Ann Taylor!) Just gotta snip each tiny tether one by one.
For example, I come home from a lovely dinner this evening to find a sopping wet phone book on my door step. While I appreciate any good litigation lawyer's attempt to woo me with his floppy oversized telephone book cover while I'm trying to find a decent dentist, I resent having to peel the gooey plastic off the book, wait for it to dry, then put it in the recycling bin. This is a dumb rant, I recognize, and Lord knows I don't want this to become a ranting blog ("And what's the deal with phone books?!) but it's an example of the minutiae from which I'm trying to unplug. Is it even possible to do so? Well, one step at a time. I just went to http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org and requested that I never receive telephone books again. Hooray, I saved a tree! Now you go save one too! Stick it to those jerkwads who name their beautiful businesses things like AAA Cheesemaking and Aardvark Framers just to secure a front page seat!
But as I was saying, not consuming has been pretty easy. (I've started getting whiffs of early spring trends, and there's not a piece I've seen so far that can't be snuffed out with a vintage-inspired cotton fabric and a Vogue pattern. Suck it, Ann Taylor!) Just gotta snip each tiny tether one by one.
