Things Mama Taught Me: "Waste Not, Want Not"

Modern homeowners who drive to a recycling drop-off or who put stuff out on the curb for a recycling company to pick up may think this is a new idea. But seventy or eighty years ago, our Depression-era ancestors were already into “reduce, re-use, recycle” in a big way. My mother often said, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do—or do without.” The thriftiness people exhibited in those times was not so much about environmental concern as simple necessity. You were careful with what you had, because there was no telling when you would get more. "Waste not, want not."

One of my cousins wrote the other day that she smiled to herself when she made pancakes recently. She realized one of her mother-in-law’s “tricks” had rubbed off on her when she used her finger to wipe the last tiny bit of egg white from the shell. If you do that, her mentor said, you’ll actually have an extra tablespoon of egg white for every four or five eggs you use. And I remember telling myself, years ago, that I would know my food budget was stable when I no longer had to scrape the last smear of margarine off the wrapper before I tossed it—what my own mother taught me.

Is this really necessary? Perhaps not yet. But a lot of our careless consumerism, I think, is caused by the very abundance we enjoy and our lack of appreciation for it. I’m not suggesting that we need to return to the lifestyle of the ‘30s, but maybe we could learn thankfulness when we crack an egg or unwrap a stick of margarine?

Did you know that gratitude is actually good for our health? Exciting new research shows that there are life-enhancing benefits to gratitude, compassion, and other love-based activism. Specifically, gratitude strengthens the immune system, makes one less vulnerable to depression, calms the nervous system which can lower blood pressure and slow the heart rate, speeds physical healing, and generates positive social interaction. Dr. Stephen Post is a professor of bioethics at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine and the founder of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love. Dr. Post and other researchers have shown that even five to fifteen minutes a day spent in thoughts of gratitude can significantly affect our long-term health.

Maybe that’s one reason our parents and grandparents were tough enough to make it through the economic difficulties they faced. They were grateful.

MaryMartha
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See an article by Dr. Post: http://www.guideposts.com/story/power-gratitude# He has also written, with Jill Neimark, Why Good Things Happen to Good People.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com