Musings on...Convenience

In Venezia (Venice), on a water bus, we met a misplaced valley girl who recently married an Italian man. Through conversation, she brought up the idea of getting used to the pace of life and the few things that she still finds irritating (even after two years). One of the things was the lack of convenience of store hours – early closing hours and the fact most (in some towns, all) of the stores closed completely on Sundays.

I am mulling this over on a Sunday as we are relaxing at the hotel, partly because we need to and partly because nothing is open – no stores, no museums, not even the laundry mat. We had to make sure we went to the grocery store yesterday (before eight o’clock) so that we would have food to eat today. We were forced to have at “home” family meals, and it was wonderful. It was just a couple meals, but they had purpose.


The picture is of our family meal by chef Josh.

I have heard it said that while the rest of the world works to live, Americans tend to live to work; this seems to be a sad reality. Could the stores make more money if they were open 24 hours, 7 days a week? No doubt there would be early morning Sunday proprietors who would attract early morning patrons and would earn a few more Euros each week. They could increase their profits, but it would come at a very steep price: purpose.

Purpose would have to be sacrificed. I know that I rarely plan ahead because I can jot to the store at almost any hour, seven days a week. If I am actually cooking at home, and I find I am missing an ingredient, no worries, VON’S is just around the corner, ready to sell me what I lack. This type of instant gratification has led to instant entitlement – and how this has seeped into all the nooks and crannies of life.

I wonder, could I start a one woman revolution? Help bring back the simpler ways of living – leave a little convenience behind for a truly better way of life?

I have already made baby steps – painting and reading more instead of owning a cable box – but I need to go beyond this beginning superficiality and make this slower pace a part of who I am. Become deliberate, purposeful in things as simply as dinner and as grand as relationships with friends, family, coworkers, students.