No.919: Last Week at the Farmhouse // Battling the Dragon Sickness

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I see it everywhere, even in myself.  It’s that insatiable need to accumulate things: the latest fashion item, the cool piece of technology, that one piece of home decor.  We buy and buy and buy, fulfilling that hunger for more…only to find ourselves incredibly uncomfortable with the abundance.  So we simplify and declutter and fill our cars with trash bags full of stuff for our local thrift store.  The relief is tangible, but fleeting.  And then we start again.

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Tolkien once said that fairytales hold up a mirror to man and I’ve recently discovered that to be true.  In The Hobbit, there is one term quickly mentioned but later better explained through image: the dragon sickness.  Smaug the dragon, the main antagonist of the story, rarely leaves his lair and his riches, even sleeping on his treasure in order to guard them.  For me, this dragon and his “sickness” describes man’s propensity for greed, for the desire to accumulate and hoard possessions.  There may be a tinge of a love for comfort in there too.

There is no judgment here and I’ll be the first to say that I’m actively battling this seemingly innate desire to acquire things.  And it’s hard!  Influencers are influencing everywhere and the temptation toward comparison is strong.  Even so, I want to hold my life and possessions with open hands.  I want to give generously.  I want to have a healthy level of detachment from material goods and a comfortable life.  Thankfully, every day is another opportunity to practice.

You were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.
– Pope John Paul II

Hoping to document 52 weeks of good things!

Five Good Things…

1. Making collages. // A continuation of the “use it up” theme!  I have kept a lot of things for junk journaling over the past year, but stuff without a purpose is just clutter.  To combat this, I’m using up the little bits in my notetaking journal and having so much fun.  This week, I used a piece of wrapping paper, an illustration from an old children’s book, a stamp from a piece of mail, letters cut from a magazine, the inside of a bill envelope and lots of stickers.
2. New healthy habits. // I’ve been experiencing some inflammatory issues so I started a few new habits to hopefully alleviate them.  None of this is revolutionary, but everyday consistency is the key: a 45 minute walk, nutritious meals (no strict rules except no sugar and less gluten) and a lot of water.  One week done!
3. Finding letters in the mailbox. // What a thrill to see a handwritten letter along with all the bills and junk mail!  This week, I received three!
4. More unexpected expenses. // Fortunately, we have a bit of money stashed away; unfortunately, I’m not getting a new couch anytime soon.  (Cue the opening scene from Up!)  Choosing to see this as a good thing because it’s teaching me patience and detachment from material things.
5. The start of Make-It-Do May! // I’m still working out the details, but May seems as good a time as ever to really buckle down and make significant strides on our financial goals.  So far, I know I’ll be spending a lot of time in the kitchen and intentionally practicing frugality in new, creative ways.

Frugal Accomplishments //

• gave my hair a trim
• made vanilla granola to use up some Greek yogurt
• mended a rip in my husband’s jeans (with my go-to patches!) so he could still wear them around the farm
• listed a few things on Pango/Poshmark
• worked on my compost pile, adding new material and turning the entire conglomeration
• found an unused bag of tomato plant food that I purchased last year and can use this spring (saved me $13!)
• paid cash for our pork processing to avoid a 3% credit card fee (saved us $44!)
• made beef broth from bones in the freezer
• planned out a month’s worth of dinners for May
• made a big batch of refried beans in the slow cooker using dried pinto beans

This Week in the Liturgical Year //

May 2 was the Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

To Listen: Ep. 24—Athanasius against the World from Way of the Fathers podcast

To Watch: Doctors of the Church: St. Athanasius of Alexandria from EWTN

To Add to the Library: On the Incarnation

Reading //

• Cinderella Comes to the Shire from Joseph Pearce at The Imaginative Conservative
• A Tale of Three “Porchers” from Alexandra O. Hudson at Front Porch Republic // “Though originally from the Washington, DC, area, Joanna chose to build a life in Indianapolis with her husband and family. She has used her porch to cultivate community and to provide a haven from the hurriedness of modern life. It is a place to forge new friendships, an incubator of ideas to make the community brighter, a place to encounter and create beauty, a catalyst for further cultural and communal growth, and a venue where those who differ politically, racially, and culturally can form bonds and feel seen, known, and loved.”
• Enough: Seven Suggestions for Thinking About Money & Possessions from April Jaure at Hearth and Field // “I think what I need is detachment, that interior freedom that is enjoyed when one no longer has excessive concern over possessions. I’m reminded of a quote from St. Teresa of Avila: ‘Our body has this defect that, the more it is provided care and comforts, the more needs and desires it finds.’ Intellectually I know that attempting to satisfy every whim will never bring satisfaction, but it seems that living simply, and being truly detached from one’s possessions is easier said than done.”
• Ode to Old Hands from Nicole Berlucchi at More Love, More Life, More Glory to God // “My daughter stretched the skin of the back of my hand so it looked smooth. What my hands used to look like, I thought. And yet, it made me see age spots whose appearance I had somehow missed. She put her young hand next to my old hand–a stark reminder of my age–but as I almost began loathing my old hands, I stopped myself–these old hands have done a lot for me.”

New Additions to The List // 

• The White Plague by Frank Herbert

Watching/Listening //

• Lecture 1 of Introduction to Sacramental Theology from The Pursuit of Wisdom at Ave Maria University
• Euripides “Medea” // Greek tragedy #1 for my mother academia goal of the month.  Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.  Yikes.

Loving //

• this homeopathic allergy relief // ‘Tis the season!
• this Lego neighborhood instruction book // A really cool used bookstore find.
• Mexican bean tostadas // A super easy meal and cheap too.  I’ve been eating them frequently for lunch.

from the archives…

WEEK EIGHTEEN 2024 // Contemplation