Mundane chores drain our days of time … or is it possible that the time-saving devices we incorporate into our daily lives are the time-scarfing culprit?
Minnesotan Kevin Winge reflects on his decision to purchase and utilize a rain barrel in his South Minneapolis yard in an article published on Startribune.com. His simple way of visually reminding himself to conserve water, turned into something far greater reflection on conveience and time than he anticipated.
I knew that one rain barrel in south Minneapolis would not make a whit of difference in water conservation, but I had another motivation for putting the big receptacle in my backyard. [ … ] I was looking for a visual reminder of how precious water is for much of the planet – a visual reminder that would help me reduce my use of water.What I discovered, however, is that intentionality is much more than just the turn of a water tap.
With a rain barrel that wasn’t properly “jury rigged” to water his garden with a hose, Winge was forced to manually take a watering can, fill it under the barrel spigot, walk to the garden, dispense the water to the thirsty plants, return to the barrel for a refill and repeat several times. What should have been annoyingly time consuming, he found to be time extending.
I paid much more attention to the flora – to the blossoms on the tomato plants, the tasseling of the corn, and the buds appearing on the flowers. I was making a connection with gardening that I had not done since elementary school when we cut the tops off milk cartons and used the bottoms to plant seeds and watched the plants grow on the windowsills of our classroom. Summer, which usually speeds by, suddenly seemed to slow down a bit.
Now, I find myself questioning all of the time-saving devices I have incorporated into my life. Maybe the time-savers themselves are contributing to the accelerated pace of life.
Read full article titled Zen Rain Barrel on the StartTribune.com.
