5 things I can’t live without

That title is a little dramatic. But it’s always in one of my favorite magazines (ELLE Decor) so I read it and find it interesting, if not completely applicable to my life. Some designer or someone fancy has a little list of amazing things they can’t live without. Things I’ve never even heard of sometimes and I am sure I can’t afford, but this month it got me thinking about my own list.

You can actually live with out most things though, right?!

I asked my friend Heather what she would grab if her house caught fire and she knew it was going to burn to the ground. Without hesitation, and because obviously children and family are a “duh”, she said her piggies. Guinea pigs, Callie and Maizie, the family pets. Which still ranks up there with family in my opinion.

That being said. I can still easily name 5 things I wouldn’t want to live without, but technically I could. When I asked myself the same question I asked Heather, the first thing that came to mind was our art collection. We have no children and our dog is gone now - and let’s say Bill isn’t in the house either so it really is just stuff.

After reflecting, even our art collection could be replaced to some extent. We would file an insurance claim, go back to the artist and purchase another piece of their beautiful work, rebuild our home and hang the new piece. Another sale, original art on another wall. Every one wins. So I might let our collection burn, just once.

But I would not want to live without original art. That thought is horrible.

So, 5 things I don’t want to live without is a better title for me.

Original Art

You may have read this before but it bears repeating, because it’s true.

“When you buy something from an artist, you're buying more than an object (or a video, or a book, or a story). You're buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation. You're buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You're not buying just one thing, you are buying a piece of a heart, a piece of a soul, a small piece of someone else's life.

Don’t miss out on participating in original art. You don’t have to be an artist. You don’t have to have an art degree, or be rich. You just have to be open to learning about art and what you like. That’s really all it is - what you like. I’ll write more about how to figure that out in another post, so stay tuned.

2. My smart Phone

I realize this is probably not a very popular admission, but I seriously and truly love my phone. It helps me in a thousand ways every day, goes with me everywhere and tells me where I am and need to be next. I hate being without it. I can, and I do put it away at appropriate times, grudgingly.

I am not advocating for children with phones in school or at the dinner table. I am just saying I love having the world at my finger tips - all the time! I grew up using the card catalog in the library, I have paid my dues. I also grew up watching MTV, how fabulous was that!!? 12 hours a day of music videos. It was genius and I loved that too. I still learned to drive, did my homework and played soccer so it didn’t kill or majorly ruin me. I actually kind of miss it. So the phone stays.

3. Meat

This is not an option, I really can’t live without meat. I am borderline carnivore. I eat mostly meat and some green veggies and berries (preferably in season). I am not a fan of organ meat but I’d eat it if I had to. I love filet minion, especially if its on sale and I feel like a got a great deal. But I’ll eat chicken, hamburger, hotdogs - yes, if it’s between hotdogs and kale - it’s hotdogs. Hebrew nationals are my fave. I eat eggs and some dairy, and drink coffee. Wait I’m getting off my list…

So meat is definitely a ‘can’t live without’. Last year for the first time and after much research we bought 1/4 steer, raised locally, humanely, without drugs of any kind and grass fed. He lived a good and fulfilling life in the shadow of Mt. Rainier and he was delicious. This coming year we have already ordered 3/4 of a steer, as our last order was not enough. We also had the pleasure of buying 1/2 a local pig. Pork has never tasted so sweet.

4. Fresh flowers

This is the first year I am dedicating my former veggie garden to flowers. I planted several kinds of dahlias last year and they did so well and were so beautiful I hardly had to buy flowers at Pike Place Market (although I still did). My goal is to have such beautiful flowers I can bring bouquets of them inside every day and fill my house with fresh flowers whenever I want. I only plant flowers that will replant or multiply themselves. This is not a free ride and I am not planting something year after year with no return on my time and investment. So perennials it is!

I dug up and wintered my dahlia tubers over, wrapped in newspaper, and kept in a box just like the dahlia sites told me o. I asked a wise flower growing friend for some pointers and now I’m just waiting to put them back in the ground and see what I get jn the coming seasons. I’m already shopping plant catalogs for my next investment of tubers and bulbs. I don’t want to live without fresh flowers, and I’m happy to share, so these are definitely on my list.

So #5.

Five is books. It seems so obvious. Maybe just reading material in general. How could you live without this blog for instance?! Or a novel to transport you to another time or travel magazines full of articles about far away places, or reading a book to a child, and the Bible. Definitely books.

Runners up would be:

My cast iron pans (to cook my meat)

Hot showers and Rain Bath Body Wash

Candles at night, during dinner

Bonfires in the summer with friends and their kids roasting marshmallows

Hoodies all year because I live in Seattle

My Ford F150

iTunes

And on and on…

What’s your 5?

5 Things I Don't Want to Live Without.