Simplify!

Since the first caveman sharpened a stick to kill a deer, human beings have been trying to make their lives easier through inventions and innovations. Many of these really are wonderful and make us able to lead richer, more fulfilling lives. But none are without a cost.

Let's start with the blanket. What's wrong with a blanket, you ask? Nothing. A blanket is wonderful. It keeps us warm and probably saved a lot of firewood back before heaters. Anyone can make a blanket (though you wouldn't know it now). But think about it. Now the fleas have somewhere to live, so you have to start washing laundry. That's a chore. Also, what happens when you have to move to follow the buffalo? You have to carry all these blankets. You can't carry them by hand, so you need a new cart. You have to invent the wheel and maybe the hatchet. See? Nothing is free.

And look at our lives now. We have so many inventions, all striving to give us more leisure time. And yet, we have very little true leisure time! Sure, we don't spend a lot of time doing actual "work" but we spend plenty of time getting gas, paying bills, washing dishes, buying groceries, etc. Our cars help us travel farther, faster, and more often than ever before, but it can be very stressful worrying about car payments, oil changes, the rising cost of gasoline, and what happens if the car breaks down.

All of the conveniences have also made us incredibly useless and dependent. I found myself thinking the other day that I couldn't havea grapefruit because I don't have one of those little plastic grapefruit cutters. Um, what?! And with cars, if they break down, they are so complicated we are usually unable to fix them ourselves and have so spend huge amounts of money to have other people fix them. We can't even feed our babies without the help of Gerber, or at least a baby food making machine.

So what's my point? We really, really need to think about what we introduce into our lives to make them "easier" or "better." What are the hidden costs? Having a set of pretty china might be nice. It might not be that expensive. But where are you going to keep it? In an expensive china cabinet, that's where. And if you live in a reasonably sized home there probably isn't room for such a cabinet so you're going to have to get a bigger house. Then you're going to have to heat that extra space and clean it everyday. Is that china still worth it?

Here is a short list of things that I think practically nobody needs to own. The only exception would be for people who, because of a certain occupation or something, would actually use this crap all the time.

• Melon baller
• Baby food maker (either feed them regular food, or for goodness sakes, it's called a blender!)
• Automatic can opener
• More than one car per driver
• More clothes than will easily fit in a regular sized closet
• Salad spinner

Sorry if you own any of these things! Who am I to say. Maybe you are one of the few people who actually utilize them to their full potential. If not, maybe spring cleaning should come a little early.