Austerity

The other day, Kathy asked me about my post about the bathroom. She said it sounded as if I was advocating for austerity as well as sufficiency. Before that, Laura Karendal and emailed and said my blog reminded her of the Amish or the Shakers. So, I guess the question arises, "Does sufficient for our need require austerity?"

A quick look at our home should suffice to answer the question. There is little austerity there. The house doesn't qualify as posh. In fact, in nearly all respects, it is just like those in our neighborhood. We upgraded the kitchen several years ago. We added a front porch. We finished the attic (three year's of do-it-yourself labor minus the electricity and heating that were sub-contracted). In fact, I recently spent time organizing the sound and movie system.

I think the point is we have done much of the upgrading ourselves or have done it within our means. The upgrades have met various needs.

So, I don't think austerity is what is meant by sufficiency. I think instead that I use the standard of sufficiency to ask questions and plan for the future.