Where are all the old soap recipes?
This idea has been plaguing me. I wake up with this thought on my mind and fall asleep in the same fashion.
Women have always been crafty. A reductive statement, indeed. With that said, most of us have been poor or in some way, not extravagant. Most of us come from a long line of people striving to survive: farmers, shepherds, bread makers, seamstresses, servants. I use the word "poor" in relation to the those who do not think before they make a purchase, those who never wanted for anything, those who live with extravagance. I do not know this world. All this means is we make due. If we can make it, we do.
It's a good idea, in my world, to take honest inventory of where we - I - am periodically. Being aware, without shame, of not being the 1% (or of the class of people who do not need to keep an accounting of their purchases and efforts) is useful to figure out how to proceed on the journey.
We, and our ancestors, have created things out of seemingly thin air. One hundred years ago we did not have a store to run to. We lived on sweat equity. We made what we needed.
Even 40 years ago, if you grew up rurally in the US, you wouldn't have the luxury of store-bought bread in the house. We took pride in making all our own food. This didn't mean simply preparing meals, but those meals came from our efforts: gardens, a host of fowl and canned foods. All this took time. Time we now spend with our necks bent forward looking at other people's lives.
Now, if we want something we buy it. This snake slipped in and we forgot who we are. We forgot that effort was valued. We forgot that our energy while making a pie was important, it meant something. We forgot to take care of ourselves and now allow corporations to take care of us. We forgot we are creative.
Our ancestors did not forget. Now, we are them and we forgot.
Progression is not always positive. Discernment is knowing when and where to progress. If one sees a rattlesnake, progression toward the snake is not the best idea. Still, there is a way to move around that snake, but not continuing on the same path.