Saturday, October 13, 2007

We Are Living In A Material World

And I am a Material Sheep.

I often think that I should maybe do something about getting my Zen on. I wonder if I should shun that which is material and start appreciating the intrinsic value of the simpler things. The beauty of a sunrise, the laughter of a child, the gentle whisper of the Autumnal winds as they send brightly colored leaves scuttling busily around the streets...these should be counted among my riches. How peaceful life would be were I to cast aside my role as a certified member of The Rat Race and just settle myself cross-legged in the middle of a field in order that I might meditate on the beauty of the dew seeping through the seat of my jeans. I'm pretty sure that I could get pizza delivery to a field if I worded the order right...

My commitment to the simpler life never lasts long. But this is in no way my fault. How is a Sheep with aspirations to non-materialism supposed to see it through when there is so much cool stuff to be had out there? It's not fair, really. In fact, it is downright depressing. So much so, that I must engage in retail therapy in order that I might recover. Who knows to what depths I might sink over this whole matter if I didn't throw a few dollars at my Acquisition Issues?

I'm all about good mental health, after all.

This is why it was so very, very important that I purchase some yarn from Wooly Wonka. It is money I would have had to pay to a therapist anyway. And, if you recall, none of this is my fault since all I wanted was to sit in a field in my soggy jeans while meditating on the beauty of the daisies. My motives were pure.





But it's alpaca in the Wasatch colorway...there really is no way one can avoid purchasing it.
And even if I were able to resist the beauty of a yarn dyed to match the beautiful Wasatch Mountains that my poor eyes haven't been privileged to see in many, many years now, there are other possessions that are fairly forced upon me. Possessions so perfectly suited to my tastes that they must be added to The Collection. You can see how my path to spiritual enlightenment is fairly littered with roadblocks! And, as if my own weaknesses were not enough, the cats have an uncanny way of knowing just whom the sender of certain items must be. The package was barely opened before they used their catly instincts to divine that Auntie April's hands had touched these things. Desdemona is particularly taken with goodies that make their way from April's side of the country to mine.

She investigates.

She lovingly caresses.


The whole sorry display ends with a show of kitty love that is really beneath her. But awfully cute...
I have to admit it: I love my stuff!!! My stuff defines me. (I mean, honestly...a Zombie Escape Plan notebook? It was meant to be mine!) I like to have all my stuff around me so I can look at it and revel in the fact that I snagged it before others could get the chance. Or that someone else thought of it and snagged it on my behalf. Or dyed something that reminds me of my favorite vacations. And, if the cats like it, so much the better. Then we have a sort of harmony going on that is kind of Zennish if you don't think about it too hard. (Or have a hard-core, working definition of "Zen.") Besides, the Zombie notebook is made from pages recycled from medical texts and the like. The planet did not suffer in its making. At least not to the degree that it will when the zombies rise up and begin to roam the streets in search of a nosh. But, you've already heard my thoughts on the matter so I won't take up your valuable time with that particular rant. Just know that I will be making my list and checking it twice in my new notebook. When the day comes, I will be ready. And I'll be doing it with responsible recycled paper.
I guess I'll just have to accept my materialistic ways. There is simply too much cool stuff out there for me to ignore. I'll do my best to keep it to a minimum. Just the stuff that makes sense and is within my budget.
Except that any good Zombie Escape Plan requires a large, armored vehicle with gun turrets and a mini fridge for snacks. That one may be a little hard to justify...
SA




18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is that LACE weight yarn? Very pretty; I can certainly understand why you HAD to buy it. And the goodies from Auntie April? Well, you really had no control over that little acquisition, now did you?

I had a bit of materialistic day myself; I'll be blogging about it later tonight or tomorrow.

Anne said...

I'll bet you can identify the zombies by their super clean apartments...

sheep#100 said...

It isn't your fault that April found a Zombie Escape Plan notebook. Nope. Not at all.

Anonymous said...

I love this material world!!! I wouldn't give it up for anything. And with all kinds of cool gadgets, we can really appreciate life.

Mel said...

Of course, the yarn's being laceweight is the first thing I noticed, too. *snigger*

Mouse said...

ooh.. pretty yarn! Without launching into a mile long discussion on "what Zen means to me in relation to the size of my yarn & fiber stash by ms.Mousie" - I think that if your stash brings you pleasure,you aren't killing anyone or doing anything immoral to acquire your yarn & fiber,you aren't starving anyone to buy it or causing anyone harm, and if you aren't buying it with the thought of "buying it all up" or so that other people can't have it... then I think its all good.
I also realize that that post was meant in a light hearted manner that didn't require a thought out response.. but there you go. lol.
(and my verfication word is "mmmdabuuti" go ahead and say that one out loud and giggle a bit)

April said...

Just tryin' to save your life, Sheepie. You can never be too prepared for the impending zombie attack.

Anonymous said...

Lovely yarn and gifties. Will you be knitting lace with that yarn??
Karen
http://nothingbutknit.blog-city.com/

Leigh said...

Ah, so you have a Collection too. Excellent! I think of it this way. I wouldn't be able to appreciate the intrinsic value and beauty of things if I didn't have the things to begin with. ;)

Donna Lee said...

We treasure our Zombie Survival Handbook here in the Wood home. Everyone has read it and knows their part in the impending infestation. It has been an important part of my children's upraising and they will thank me for it one day. By the way, are those the Wasatch Mts. in NJ? We used to climb them when I was in college.

Cathy said...

Hmm. I guess my comment didn't go thru. Just a bit about how the kitty is copying your behavior. I do love the zombie survival book and Anne is right on the money. Not a problem in my circle.

Anonymous said...

How about being a Material Girl who is socially and environmentally responsible? Then you can buy more stuff with less guilt.

Just a thought.

Knitting Linguist said...

Well, in the end, you couldn't control the present that someone else bought you, not to mention that we should all have zombie escape plans; if those plans require the eventual purchase of large-caliber weaponry, well, there's not much you can do about that, either. And in the end, yarn is not about material possession, it's about opening the door to the possibilities of what the yarn might become -- by providing a real-world example of the ever-changing nature of the world around us (from alpaca to fleece to singles to plied yarn to dyed yarn to whatever you make), it is the essence of zen.

Or am I overjustifying here? :)

Mia said...

Never fear sheepie.. I'm here for ya. I'be been outside all weekend soaking up the zen, AND the wet soaking thur my jeans. And I loved every minute of it *grin* i'll go out in a little bit and sit in a puddle just for YOU! hehehe

Enjoy the material stuff too girl, you deserve it!

Ronni said...

It's like how the calories leak out of broken cookies and don't count if they are from "free" food or whatever. Similarly, the anti-zen aspects of material goods are minimized when they are basically raw materials (like yarn or fabric or food or...) or are gifts received. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I was noticing that the yarn was kind of thin, too. :) I had to laugh because I've done the same thing. I had tons of sock yarn before I successfully knit a pair of socks. I started a collection of laceweight yarn before I knit my first lace project. This must just be part of the whole process. :) It's beautiful yarn!

mehitabel said...

And don't forget to check out a copy of The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore for a wonderful zombie attack. Yeah, I'm going to be prepared all right--having read that book. Practical Demonkeeping is my next read...

Denise said...

Maybe by being a material sheep you are actually clearing a path to Zen for another person?

By accumulating things, you leave less 'stuff' available to distract them from their path. They will achieve Zen *because* of you. This makes you a 'Zen-enabler'. This is the little-known but higher path of Zen.

So with every purchase and gift, you bring a Zen-filled existance closer to reality for another person!