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| You appreciate clothes more when you are standing nude in the cold. |
The longer you go without something, or the less you have of anything, the more you appreciate whatever it is.
The best meals happen when you haven't eaten for a good long while and you are truly hungry. It is unbelievable how eating maple baked beans right out of the can while ripping apart a whole wheat bun can feel like a feast fit for any adventure.
There have been various times that Linda and I have not showered for extended periods. Tree planting, backpacking, and living out of a vehicle are all pursuits in which showers are sacrificed in order to attain something else of importance other than being clean and socially acceptable.
If a person showered 3 times a day, how much is each shower enjoyed? Frequency dulls the feedback, which is why less is actually more.
If you want to appreciate life, do less, have less, consume less.
Hedonic adaption is something, as a culture, we seem completely unaware of. The message shouted from the rooftops seems to be, "more is more!".
ReplyDeleteGam,
DeleteThey don't want us to know, or the game will be over. Or is the game already over? I think people are slowing catching on to the fact that more is not making them any happier in the long run.
Yes! One of the best meals I ever remember having was peanut butter on crackers when my family was in the middle of a several day hike. I know that the more I have, the less I appreciate it. So in that case, more is also less.
ReplyDeleteMelodee,
DeleteWhat a wonderful memory. Nothing has piqued my appreciation for what I have like a few days in the wilderness with nothing but a small pack.
More IS less. Less time, less space, less freedom.
Sounds like you and Linda are very adaptable!
ReplyDeleteWhen I am 'out there' daily showers no longer matter at all. It just doesn't matter. I don't even think about it. In a dry climate a shower doesn't matter for a longer time. After 8-10 days or so, I'll be ready to be hunting down some water to bathe in....doesn't have to be a full blown modern shower for sure. In fact, daily showers don't matter to me at all now. I take many less showers than most people I know and I live in a smothering hot humid climate. And I can easily adapt to shower alternatives.
Terri
Terri,
DeleteIt is amazing what can be done with a sink or bucket of hot water and a facecloth.