It has changed over the years. I looked around my kitchen and noticed the electric appliances that graced the counter right now.
Some of my favorites that I use often are the crock pot, the stir crazy popcorn popper, my rice cooker and Bosch mixer.
My mind went back to my kitchen a little over 11 years ago. I lived without electricity, running water and even counter tops for the most part. The sink drained into a bucket that we emptied outside when it got full and all water was hauled in and out, by hand. The floors were made of chip board, the shelves that served as cupboards did not have doors on them.
It was a very small kitchen, one of those that most people would find in one of those miniature houses. It was serviceable though! There were often times, in our very small cabins, we had guests and gatherings of 25-50 people.
It made me sit back and think. I am grateful for the electric appliances that I have available to me now. But sometimes I miss the ability to not think that my kitchen, house, space limits me in having guests. I sometimes see those mini homes and envy them a bit, as I remember the fun of jamming 25-50 people in a small space and having fun.
I realize as I look around my kitchen, that while I am grateful for what I have, I could live without it again in a heartbeat. The only thing I will probably never give up willingly is hot showers at the turn of a faucet. I would even give up lights again! You know, your house looks a lot cleaner by lantern light!
So, today, when you look around your house. Think of what you would absolutely have to have to live. What could you give up, even though you love it? Could you do it, if it would make you closer as a family or with friends?
Wow, Martha. This is very timely for me. I have been living in a very rudimentary kitchen for a long time, open cupboards without doors, like you describe, no drawers, etc. I had learned to live with it, but we finally remodeled it a month or two ago, and while I am SO grateful to have the convenience of putting things away in drawers and cupboards that I can actually close, it’s important to remember that I lived for a long time without that. My kitchen, just like any THING, isn’t the source of my happiness. If we can’t be happy in very rudimentary surroundings, then we would probably struggle to be happy in a mansion. We should remember that our families are our treasure, for where our treasure is, there will our heart be also. I’m pretty sure we can’t take our modern kitchens to heaven with us, but I sure hope to see my husband and children there.
Good points! I wonder WHAT we really do use as an excuse to not have people over? For me: just the daily mess of having children. That’s stupid!
I had the same thought this weekend as I looked around my kitchen and realized that all my “convenience” appliances were choking me! I found spots for them that are semi-easy to access but off the counter, because *for me* they were just visual clutter most of the day!
I love finding ways to do things so that I can get rid of appliances…toast in oven so I can get rid of toaster, etc. I need to do this more. It is stifling to me to have so much stuff.
This was an interesting post. We are planning to leave for the mission field soon. We will be living among some very poor people. While I am definitely considered a minimalist by American standards. I personally love my crockpot, hand mixer, and blender. I will need to get a rice cooker there. Even the very poor have a rice cooker if they have electricity. But would I be willing for that to be my only small appliance- for the sake of the gospel?