The more you rely on things...

Here's a challenge for one of the days this weekend.  Even if it's not all day, how about for a couple of hours.  How self reliant are you really?  The more you rely on things that others produce the more helpless you become if it's not available, or the more you are taken advantage of when you get charged outrageous prices for something you "need". 

Now I'm not saying go on an electricity free weekend like we've done in the past.  Just thinking about electricity, around here it's used for lights, refrigerator, freezer, whole house fan, air conditioning (not yet, it's not 90 in the house yet), well pump, computer, tv, dvd player, stereo, garage door openers, heat for the chicks and ducklings, washer, dishwasher, coffee maker, microwave.  I think that's about all.  What if the power went out? 

Just take the time to reflect on electricity and other services you use.  What if it wasn't available?  How would you survive without it?  Does it have to be a huge loss?  What do you need and what don't you need?  Even though my list of electrical uses is large we really don't use much electricity.  My bill is always under $40 except during the summer it may spike to $50 except when there's company, then it goes higher.  Most company can't function without leaving all the lights on, blaring the tv, and running the air conditioner.

You have candles for light, or grease for a button lamp?  Can you cook without electricity and put up food for the long term?  Where is your food coming from (but that's a little too much to think about for this short exercise)?  Do you have enough entertainment that you don't need the tv, dvd player, music, or computer?  The biggest question - can you make your morning coffee without a coffee maker? 

Just go over what you do this weekend, even if just for a couple of hours and then figure out what you would do if you had to do that task without relying on electricity/vehicle/phone/___ (you fill in the blank).