Hi Neighbour,
This week, I’ve been thinking of Jamie MacKinnon’s book, The Day the World Stops Shopping. I can’t help thinking of my family, when we first came to Canada. My father had a job waiting for him, so that wasn’t a problem. But the cultural changes were intense. I was so young that I never felt it. As long as my family was there, my whole world was complete. But as I think back on the whole transition for my mother, taking care of 6 kids without the means to hire help (which she had had in England). It must have been so stressful. My oldest sister was a big help, I’m sure.
One thing that I remember, is that we had a home with a backyard. We had each other and some big-family neighbours. We were not rich, but we learned to deal with what we had—in particular, passing down clothes, from one girl to the next. I was the youngest girl, so I never knew what it meant to get something new, something ‘store-bought’. My mother sewed new clothes and repaired old clothes, and what I wore had no effect on my enjoyment of life. In fact, I remember being very happy to grow into something I had seen one of my sisters wearing, before she grew out of it.
We got our first TV when I was 8 years old, so, as a little kid, I never saw advertisements for processed foods or clothes or toys. I lived to play outdoors with neighbourhood kids. I don’t remember anyone ever commenting on what I wore, until we moved to the ‘big city’ of Vancouver. But by then the die was cast. My lifestyle and habits were already mostly formed, and my family was always there—an important and constant element in my development. I always said that I grew up watching my siblings, such that I didn’t really see my parents through the crowd. I don’t remember any squabbles over food, clothing or ‘toys’. We all learned that any treats would cost us our pocket money. As a result, I think we were a cohesive family—unaffected by an artificial, foolishly competitive world.
So, as an adult, I am grateful for the family I grew up in, for the many lessons I learned at home. The effect came back to me during COVID. I think that all I’ve bought in the past 15 months is groceries. I gave up my car in 2015, and I am able to pay my taxes and household bills. I’ve had no problem ‘doing without’ luxuries and staying home. I’m wearing old clothes for gardening. Believe me, I have too many clothes in my closet! And I’m very peaceful and feeling good about growing vegetables for myself. I think many people have also discovered how it feels not to be competing with the media’s version of how we should look, what we should eat or what we should do to be happy.
It’s really about Back to Basics, before we can get back to a new normal, eh?
Fiona