Light walking
For example the case of my friend Anibal and La Nena, a Colombian couple living on the Venezuelan coast. The first time I had the pleasure of visiting their house, I was really impressed: not only by how little there was between those lime-painted walls, but also by how happy they were.
So we were very surprised when we found a house with few things, most of them self-made and with marine materials. Only a few rooms had electricity and although that area is very hot, there was no air conditioning (we slept in rooms with large windows from where we could see and hear the sea). They also used sea water for almost everything they did. They had a very nice garden where they had everything and they bought the fish from a man who passed by daily, so they did not need a refrigerator.
Obviously, that can become a problem for those of us who are used to “certain comforts”: to live with certain things, that when we don't have them, we feel that we are missing a hand, for example.
When I saw that house I asked myself: “How can people live in the 21st century as if they were living in prehistoric times? They have nothing. They must be unhappy. Hahahaha. Nothing could be further from the truth. If there are happy people, it is Anibal and La Nena. They don't pay rent, they swim in the sea every day, they meet to talk every night and they are far from the nets. The laughter on their faces speaks of perfect happiness.
Our consumerist vision, makes us believe that we need many things and it turns out that those things can be even a burden in our existence. The more we have, the more we are not more, because it is the objects that possess us. When in order to be, we must have, then the value is not in us. Sometimes it is worth walking light like Anibal and La Nena.
The images are from my personal gallery and the text was translated with Deepl
This image belongs to millycf1976 and was manipulated using Canva.
Thank you very much for your support and vote. It is a real pleasure to write in this community. Blessings
It's great to enter homes like these. They are filled with character and show the personality of the occupant.
I agree, that we get used to many comforts and sometimes take them for granted. However, when they are taken away, we find that with a small shift, we adjust and get along just fine.
I enjoyed it 😉 Thanks for your #KISS
lips sealed
Yes, I agree with you! Although it was a small house, it seemed spacious and a very special light came in. I don't know if that light was from outside, or from those two friends who looked like peace made people. Greetings and thanks for your comment
Oh yes that reminds me of some villagers I knew when I worked in Africa.
The older I get then the less I want, I do know I still have more than I need, but it is much much less than when I was 30 for example. Yes being happy is what counts. Great post Nancy and had me imagining some things, a great big hug from me Nancy
I hope you have imagined a lot of good things, my friend. I send you a hug from Venezuela.
Oh trust me I did!
Well as long as there are wide open windows with the sound of the sea, I could adapt. Your friends are brave to live the way they chose and not have to conform to the standards of the world!
When I spoke to my one staff member who helped build a home for his mother, I was shocked that it was only one big room at this stage, with no running water nor electricity. Yet his mother is thankful as it's better than the room she had at her parents' family home!
We always want too much!
Your friends are lucky👌
Yes, we would be surprised how many people can live with so little and are happy. Sometimes I think it's like going back to childhood: being amazed by everything and happy with little. I have friends who have a lot and have never been happy like Anibal and la Nena. Thanks for your comment, @lizelle. Hugs