Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Sunday, February 15, 2015

One Month

 Welcome to ONE LOONEY IDEA, If you are new read below, otherwise scroll down past the first picture.

In 2006, we began a relationship with Ethiopia that we cannot turn our backs on. 
We don’t really want to turn away, but life became undeniably more DIFFICULT after our first, and consecutive trips. Members of our family were in Ethiopia in ‘06, ’07, ’08, ’09, and ’13. In Ethiopia, the majority of people build a life with less than a dollar a day. A dollar a day does not provide basic necessities. Roughly 39% of Ethiopians live below poverty (<$1.25 USD)—that is over 28 million people. The population of Canada is just over 35 million. 
The world is not equitable. 

We all have challenges. At this point in my life I am living with abundance. It doesn’t feel good to continue to accrue treasures when so many live with scarcity. I want to create something different.
From January 15th, 2015 – January 14th, 2016, I am going to spend ONLY a dollar a day (average) for discretionary items.
I will put one loonie into my purse each day. Every time that I want to make a purchase, I will stop and think. I am becoming a thoughtful and responsible consumer, one day at a time—for a lifetime.
You can support me by pledging a dollar a day for any part of my 365-day challenge. The money will go to Canadian Humanitarian, who we have worked with extensively over the past nine years. —Just check out my Pledge Page on the left side bar. 
Betam amisegnalo. 


***


Here I am, age four, with my sister Tobi.
The Purchasing of Convenience 

A month has passed since I started my “ One Looney Idea”. You must be curious to know how it is truly going. 
A “cold turkey” change to any habit is not the easiest path to choose. But, for some things, it is the best approach. 
I have had two transgressions this past month. The first, a glass of wine while I was writing. Wine and writing go together sometimes like sunshine and walking. One feels better…easier, with the other. 


The second, stayed within the loonie budget, but occurred unexpectedly. Yohannes had a soccer game. We arrived at the soccer centre, and he went to change. Prior to our departure, Yohannes, preoccupied by a friend that was over, ignored my prompt to get ready for soccer. I went to the car, to load the balls and equipment bag—I am the coach—and he gathered a handful of items and scrambled into the van barefoot, his arms laden with socks, shin pads, shoes, and a water bottle. I looked at the disordered mess, and said, “Where is your soccer bag?” He looked down at his stuff, “Don’t need it,” he answered, confident. 
A minute after entering the change room, Yohannes came out. 
“Mom, I only have one sock,” he said. 
“Maybe you dropped it in the van,” I said, “Go and check.” He went. 
“No, it’s not in the van.”
“Well, you’re not going to be able to play with only one sock. You have to have your shin pads covered.”
“Mu-um! What am I going to do?”
We checked with all of the other kids—no extra sock. I felt conflicted. As a mother, I recognized this was one of those rare “natural consequences” moments. No sock. No play. Next time, get ready when mom asks. But, as the coach, I wanted Yohannes on the field, not only because he is a strong player, but because he thrives on the pitch. I counted my loonies. There were eight—during my week at the cottage I did not spend any. Yohannes watched me count. 
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m going over to the soccer store in the main building to get you some socks,” I said. 
“No, Mom, you can’t use your loonies!”
I laid my hand on his shoulder, “It’s okay buddy, this is my choice.”
“I’ll pay you back mom.”

***
When my kids were small, I carried everything that we needed with us. Every time. Every day. However, when Faven joined our family in the fall of 2009, I found myself quickly overwhelmed, and the balls I so proficiently juggled in my pre-Faven stage of parenting, thumped to the floor and rolled away. We would find ourselves out of the house for hours at a time without any snacks. I beat myself up over my incompetency, and compensated by purchasing snacks on the go. It filled the kids stomachs, and at the same time soothed the sores created by my internal critic. The daily spending grew right alongside my kids. We became entrenched in this new habit, and “convenience” became an invisible budgetary item that I felt horrible about.
 When the illusion of resources is a fingertip away, it becomes easy to tap into it, especially when life is busy, one is tired, or one hasn’t planned very well.  My husband Ward used to say (to his older kids),  “Lack of planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on my part”.  

The loonie-a-day philosophy provides the kids and I with a new modus operandi. It feels fresh, and the challenge is exciting. There is no longer an “ask” after every sporting event, after school, or when we are running errands. No gum. No juice. No muffin or cookie. No Starbucks. In fact, we avoid stores altogether. It feels good. 


***
I am not alone; Canadians have some peculiar spending habits. According to Stats Canada, the household debt load has been steadily increasing over the last two decades. One might think that this is because the cost of living has gone up. True, but it is not the main factor.  Having children is directly correlated with debt; no surprises there. But, here are two facts that are counter-intuitive: 1) higher income levels directly correlate with higher debt loads; and 2) individuals that claim they are “very knowledgeable” about financial matters have more debt than those who say they are “not very knowledgeable.” The myth goes like this:  IF ONLY I made more money, I wouldn’t owe so much. 

If a child makes a snowball, and sets it in motion at the top of a snow-covered hill, it will be gargantuan when it reaches the bottom. There will be no way to carry it. Moreover, if you run in front of the growing snow boulder, eventually it will overtake you. You could be crushed—or trapped—under it’s weight. Why don’t we stop the snowball at a manageable size? 







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