Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

If it Feels Too Easy

My all-time favorite exercise video is Crunch Washboard Abs. I’ve done it more lately than I have in years, and one of my favorite moments is when the teacher, Terri Walsh, says, “You’ll know you’re not doing it right if it feels too easy.” True that.

I’ve been having a lot of angst about ordering things online during this crisis. I know that for some people delivery is the only way they can get desperately needed supplies, and of course, I’m glad that they have that option. But a lot of us, including me, are continuing to order things that aren’t strictly necessary. I’ve said for years that ordering online is too easy, and leads us to over-buy, and in this crisis it makes it easy for us to forget the people at the other end, who are in factories and warehouses making and shipping our stuff.

The Internet exists and it’s a powerful tool. But if we are going to order things for our own comfort, health or safety, why not also support those local businesses that are trying to keep afloat? Rather than take the easy way, straight to Amazon, dig a little deeper in your search engine. When you order fabric masks from a maker on Etsy, that person is probably safely at home sewing and keeping some income coming in. I sent my sister a book from the Country Bookshelf, in Bozeman, Montana, where she lives. The owner gift wrapped it and dropped it on her porch. That’s service! I ordered a part for my sewing machine from sewingpartsonline.com. It took more than a week, but the toilet paper I ordered from Amazon in March still isn’t here.

And if finding alternative sources for things you want is too hard, maybe you don’t really need them. Maybe you’ll order less.

If there’s one silver lining in this pandemic, it’s that it’s giving us a chance—perhaps even forcing us—to slow down and reevaluate our consumption, both individually and as a nation. Whether it’s ab exercises, prepared foods, fast fashion: if it’s too easy, it’s probably not that good. So dig deep, get tough, and do it the hard way. You’ll be glad you did.