Some of the best insight comes when it is least expected. I gained a new perspective after a quick dinner conversation with my grandparents, a.k.a Nana and Papa. My Papa started to tell me a small, but significantly insightful story about his childhood. He asked me if I knew what an icebox was. Although I did know the answer, I never knew the deeper stories that I would soon learn. My papa said his job was to put the sign in the window that would signal the ice man that they were out of ice. The man would carry blocks on his back and stop when he saw the sign. No e-mail alert, no text messaging and no phone service of any kind, just a simple sign in the window. They would then beg the ice man for a little chip of ice. I gave a puzzled look as to why this would be so riveting. My Papa explained that they didn’t have the luxury of something as small as frozen water, so the chip of ice became a special, unexpected treat.
Fast-forward to today, ice and a lot of other minor things are overwhelmingly taken for granted. In fact, I am fairly positive if we gave a child a chip of ice to consume for hours there would be kicking, tantrums, screaming and more tantrums until they got the toy they actually wanted. New toys are amazing. Of course I died when I got my new Barbie dream house and then just about died again when it broke in the 1994 earthquake. But we now live in a place where a piece of ice isn’t enough. We cannot stop looking for more – more toys, more cars, more furniture, more electronics, more entertainment, more everything. It doesn’t make sense that we stress over the things we want more than the things we need.
Now I cannot speak for everyone, but I do know that I need to start being a little – no a lot – more appreciative. I can’t imagine not having my cell phone, my laptop and every other unnecessary item in my life. But if I can’t take a step back and really look around at what I do have, in reality I have absolutely nothing. My Nana and Papa view the world in a different light and it was nice to get a glimpse of the way they look at things. I may not have the means to get everything I want materialistically, but I am certain I do have the means to live a simpler life and enjoy that life for all it has to offer.
Casey Rowley is a freelance writer and preschool teacher. For comments please email caseymrowley@yahoo.com.