Absinthia Returns, Part 14

This is part of a continuing series of email letters exchanged with my Swedish friend, Absinthia. To see the whole series, start with  Living a Simple Life.

Who Needs Money, Anyway?

I'll admit, I have often thought that if only I had enough money for a rainwater system or a solar panel, etc., I could live a simpler life.  Well, Absinthia has news for those of us who think that!

Hello,

It makes me a bit sad when people say they need more time and money in order to live a simple life, when it is quite the contrary. My husband and I started out on this journey because we needed to live on less money, not more. So “no money” is absolutely not an issue. Not at all. All you need is creativity, imagination, and the will to walk this path. If you have someone to hold your hand when you take the leap, it will make things much more fun, of course.

One of the reasons I agreed to do this series with you was my wish to kill the myth that you need to be rich to live a simple life. Let’s remember the people that lived like this before us, our foremothers and forefathers. They lived like this because they couldn´t afford any other way. If they had had any money, I am rather sure they would have made a few changes here and there ;-).

I have found that imagination is the mother of invention in many ways. If you have money, you stop seeing the possibilities, I think. Your mind becomes a bit lazy. Instead of finding out how to make a dish brush, you throw some money at the problem.  Instead of finding out how to build your own solar panels, you throw money at it.

As I mentioned in an earlier letter, I recommend The Complete book of Self-Sufficiency by John Seymour. It’s a wonderful book with hands on instructions on how to do all you need to live what he calls “the good life.” You can find it in most libraries.

I am not trying to be rude, or anything like that. I am just saying, you don’t need money to live simply. You need to stop thinking you need money, you need to see beyond money. Money is not the start and finish of all… money is just one tool among millions of tools. That is all it is, no more than that. I promise! :-D

- Absinthia

This is the end of "Absinthia Returns." In future posts, Absinthia and I will discuss ways to eat simply.