SCARCITY

I am a child of the great American depression era. I blame that for my mental outlook which my New Age friends term “coming out of scarcity.” For me it means a growing feeling of never being sure that I have enough - enough time, enough food, drink, clothes, golf balls, filing space - you name it.

The late 1920’s and early 30’s were in fact times of great scarcity. My memory is that at mealtime we were restricted to one tiny piece of meat. When there was no meat we ate boiled potatoes and pickled beets. When my dad returned from an out of town teachers conference and brought back a candy bar that bar was cut into many pieces so that each of the 9 of us children (or whatever the number was at that time) could get the appropriate fraction. During nine months of the year we went barefoot everywhere. We saved our shoes and pair of socks for Sunday wear. After our house “got electricity” my parents told me a million times to “turn out the light.” Money and electricity were scarce. To get ready for whatever eventuality, my mother, one spring and summer, canned 800 quarts of vegetables!

The amazing thing is that we always had enough. I never went hungry, wore rags, lacked love, warmth, attention, toys, tablet paper or ink. Things weren’t really all that scarce.

Why then do I still “come out of scarcity?” If I’m to do a one hour workshop I prepare enough material for two hours so I won’t run out of stuff to present. Why is my garage packed with paper, boxes, clothes, old golf clubs, scrap lumber, telephone wire, half-empty paint cans, cracked flower pots, baby beds, 8’ x 12’ sheets of plywood, an old Weber bar-b-cue tarpaulins, old light switches, etc. etc.? Why do I buy 10 pounds of meat for the six guests we’re having for dinner, and pack six shirts for a three day trip” Why do I invite 8 people for dinner just to make sure that 6 will show up?
I blame it all on my childhood depression era scarcity. My idea of heaven is that finally there’ll be enough of everything foreveryone, including me.