Balance

So I was just on Facebook IM'ing with a friend and...

Hold on here! Wait! Did you say IM? Facebook? Doesn't that involve a computer and, like, technology? Shouldn't you be in the tree, picking berries and contemplating the stars?

Okay, I understand the confusion. First of all, berries don't grow on trees, they grow on bushes. Second, I may have neglected to mention that I work with computer technology for a living. So naturally, I tend to use it at home as well. I'm actually typing this on a laptop (running linux, by the way) in bed. How decadent!

Sometimes it seems difficult to reconcile the high technology livelihood I've had with the sustainable lifestyle I want to attain. But to me, life isn't about absolutes; there are compromises to make in our lives. I couldn't share these thoughts with you now if I rejected technology; but if I embraced technology exclusively I would never smell the roses (or the lilacs, which I actually prefer.) Besides, I don't think that technology is completely unsustainable. Plus, there are plenty of ways to make technology more sustainable -- more on that later!

A year or two ago, I'd much rather have gotten my hands dirty with thermal paste and computer case dust than with garden soil. There are some days where I still prefer the metal and plastic; it's part of how I'm wired. But to achieve a balance, I also need to get soil under my fingernails and turn the compost every now and then. These evenings, I'm much more likely to be found in the kitchen than on the computer. That's attributed to a lot of things, but partly because I sensed there was something missing in my life: balance. I work with computers all day and don't want to do the same thing at home, most of the time. That's normal for one of my profession and age. It's also practicality: The family needs to eat, and making dinner a quality experience rather than a half-hearted microwaved effort seems a good use of my time.

And washing dishes can be, believe it or not, quite soothing after a long day. Just don't tell my wife. If she knew I enjoyed it...!