I just finished Half-Broke Horses last night. What a captivating read! If you've already been through Jeannette Walls' autobiography, The Glass Castle, you'll find this true life novel all the more rich.
Walls straps on the first person POV and journeys through her grandmother Lily's life on a horse ranch. Her "normal" carried more tragedy, uncertainty, and hard work in one year than most will see in a lifetime. At one point, her and her husband lost their jobs (due to the Depression) and had to move to a house with no indoor plumbing. As Lily treks to the outhouse, lamenting the loss of her flush toilet, she reminds herself (and shocks the reader with conviction) that she didn't really need a toilet and \ she needed to get over the perspective that she did. She then proceeds to tear out a catalog page to wipe.
Wow.
Well... I don't know about you, but I see an indoor toilet as a need. In fact, I'd say we see having at least two toilets in the house as a need. But is it really?
What do I consider a need that is really just a want?
a dishwasher...
a dryer
a bed per child--a room per child
a yard
a vehicle per person
a cell
a stereo system
an updated wardrobe
...
What about you?
What could you do without?
What could you give away?
Think about it... you'll be surprised what you come up with
No comments:
Post a Comment