The Conversion: More or Less

MORE or LESS?

That has been the driving question for our life-changes.  Do we want more or do we want less?  Will "more" make us want less or will it feed our desire for "more?" Is "less" the opposite of "more" or is it in the eye of the beholder?  Could it be that what we're really searching for is "less," and that the "less" is actually the "more" we've been looking for? 

It's a lot to answer, but we're trying.  And in just a few weeks of trying, we've found some pretty amazing answers.

LESS sometimes really is MORE. 

Sunday, after a super busy weekend of working on the farmstead, I stood at the sink of my camper and washed every dish in the joint.  I finished this task, from start to finish, from dirty to dry, from sink to cabinet- in less than 15 minutes.  I smiled.  Less is more!

 When it came time to lay our sewer and water lines, we stood on our property and looked at the length we'd have to dig to bury the lines.  It was a daunting task.  And we're not talking shallow ditches, either.   We toyed with the idea of renting a ditch-witch or a trencher to make the work easy.  A few phone calls told us that renting the equipment for the appropriate time would cost us right at $400.  So, we decided to try to dig it ourselves.  With post-hole diggers, shovels, pick-ax and spade in hands, we set out to find out why parents didn't want their children to be ditch diggers. 

It wasn't easy, but doing it ourselves saved the big bucks.  And, we learned a lot about our own strengths, too.  My kids are rock stars!  And Chandler's dog is the best.  I'm pretty sure she's an advocate for geo-thermal cooling because she couldn't keep herself out of those cool holes we dug!  We traded a $400 bill in for a $19 pair of post-hole diggers.  I'd definitely say that the "less" beat the "more" on this one! 

While we're on the topic of more or less, do you know how much people (even friends) will charge you to do a job you can totally do yourself?  Seriously, we need to teach ourselves to ask, "Can I do this myself for less?"  And more importantly, "Can I pay myself more and get the same service?"  A reputable, honest plumber (in the plumbing business, or in other words, feeding his family by making a PROFIT plumbing) would have come and connected our camper's water and sewage ports to the water line and septic tank on the property for an estimated cost of $625 (using his materials, but not taking into account any unexpected expenses.)  That sounds like a really good deal, doesn't it?  I mean, anytime you can have a major home repair or installation done for under $1000, we've trained ourselves to say "Praise God!"  But, before we shelled out the cash, we pulled out a calculator.  Tim estimated that we could run the same lines and pipe for about $200, including all supplies.  So, we jumped at it.  It only took a day and we ended up spending even less than we thought!

You see that?  That receipt says $108.36 where my checkbook could have said $625.  That's the "less" I'm looking for!

And that's just a few examples.  Sunday night, we built a small fire with some garbage wood we'd picked up on the property.  Just as the wood took fire, a few friends pulled up to say hi.  Instead of inviting them in for a meal or a show, we took a walk to the bluffs, watched our kids enjoy God's creation, marveled at Chandler's dog and her great love for rushing water and dreamed outloud together.  It was less than what we're used to when it comes to entertaining people we love, but then again, it was also more. 


I'm falling in love with "less," my friends.