Addictions and Things

After bemoaning the fact yesterday that I have had no words to spew, it seems there are words pushing to be released today. What can I say, I have no control.

I was thinking this morning about how easily we can become addicted – not just to drugs but to habits, to wants, to the way we do things. Take, for instance, plastic – in this particular case, plastic wraps. In my youth, my mother had rounds of flexible plastic with elastic sewn to the edges which she used to cover bowls. Which I also used as a young adult for awhile. Then, along came plastic wrap. Hallelujah! Our lives were changed and covering bowls became easier. Assuming, of course, that you could actually get a large enough piece of that plastic wrap off the roll without it becoming a wadded up mess, never to be untangled.

Years past and improvements were made. Plastic became an integral part of our lives. But now – too much of it finds its way into our oceans, choking our ocean life, polluting our shorelines. So, I’m attempting to break this plastic habit to the extent that I can. I have ordered stretchable silicone bowl lids that will be delivered today for use on those bowls that do not have lids as well as the bowls for which the plastic lids have broken. I am assuming  these silicone lids are going to be my new best friend in the kitchen. The next step will be to order silicone zip lock bags to replace those zipping plastic bags whose manufacterers’ names I shall not mention. Because. However, I must delay that order for a few days. Because. Because my other addicition is. . .

Amazon. I am addicted to Amazon. Because there is nothing you can’t buy on Amazon. Because recent experiences have led me to believe I am not a good in person shopper for things other than grocery items. Case in point: My daughter has a hope chest I built for her many years ago, but during one of her moves, the lid split where the hinge is screwed in. We were working on repairing it this summer, and came up with a workable fix. That fix required wood putty, we thought. Oh, but wait, after buying the wood putty, we discover it does not harden. What the heck? Whatever is the purpose for non-hardening wood putty? Not entirely my fault – those directions for use on the labels are printed in a print far too fine to actually be read without a magnifying glass. So I tried again, this time buying wood fiiller. Yeah, it hardens. If only I had paid attention to the fact that it’s a walnut color and the chest is pine. Sigh. So off to Amazon I went, because all the print is written in a font large enough for my aging eyes to read. And because apparently, I’m better at taking the time to thoroughly check the details from the comfort of my home and my comfortable chairs. I’m trying again.

But Amazon shopping is far too easy and with days with extra time, far too tempting to just “go look around a bit”. “Not going to buy anything” she says. But, oh look what  I found! And all it takes is a couple of clicks. Uh huh. I’ve been working on that addiction, but this past month I have suffered a relapse, and my budget is glaring at me with its evil eyes.

When I was much younger, I was addicted to Pepsi. Bottled or canned, didn’t matter. There was always a bottle or can of Pepsi open within my reach. Over the years, I have either become wiser (which is questionable – see that Amazon thing above), or my tastes have changed, and now colas are too sweet for me, and water is much more satisfying. Successful overcoming of an addiction. One gold star for me.

There are many other forms of addiction, and I feel quite certain we all have a few of them, most of which are quite harmless. At least for ourselves – possibly not to someone who attempts to change my addiction to having my pots and pans arranged in a certain manner in a certain cupboard. Or my pastas and nuts in jars on that particular shelf in the pantry, with grains and beans in jars on another particular shelf in my pantry. Interfere with that, and it could lead to discussions, which could become heated if you refuse to see the error of your ways.

And so it is, we all have our addictions – but those that are harmful to ourselves and those around us need to be dealt with. Our doctors need to become more aware and find better ways of pain management, mood management, management of our general health. Even our addiction to plastics is harmful – just take a look at the waste pulled out of our oceans.

Here’s to health – for each of us, for our planet.

Just don’t mess with my methods of organization!