The guest speaker

A man, a friend of our professor's, came to speak to our class a few weeks back and I have been thinking about what he said to our class. His family, not when he was growing up, but his wife, their children, and himself, live now while using as little energy as possible. He, essentially lives on a farm where he grows his own food, makes his own bread, raises his own live stock, and his wife makes clothes. Anything they need that they can't grow or make by themselves, they will trade with other people who live the way that they do. I think it is awesome!

I feel like.. how could I live without going to Walmart every other day, or going to the market once a week for food, or heaven for bid me not go shopping at least once a week for clothes, etc. I'm what you might call a shop-a-hallic! I become happy when i enter a store, or even when I return items that I change my mind on. They both make me happy.
Well, after listening to the guest speaker my whole thought process seemed to change. Why, must we buy and spend money when essentially we have everything we NEED? It's just the stuff we want..not stuff we need that we are buying. I realized that. And I have been watching my spending and what my true needs are, not wants. Also my family has always grown a garden during the summer months, but I have never participated in it. I do believe this year coming, I am going to make my own garden. I am going to do it all by myself. I'm am also going to try to purchase food items from locally grown markets or food stands, not the huge super-markets. I also have been trying to car pool more often, and I don't go out and waste as much precious gases as I previously have, when I don't really have to.