Rustic Day

Every so often my family chooses a day to be "Rustic Day" - a full 24 hour period where everything electric (including batteries) are shut off and put away. No TV, no Internet, no cellphones, no land phones, no electric lights, no automobiles or chainsaws. Just peace, quiet, and a simpler lifestyle. If we must cut wood, it is with a bucksaw. If we must go to the store, we walk.

We do keep use of the fridge, because even in the "old days" they had ice boxes.

Lighting is by kerosene lamp and candle. Cooking is done on the woodstove, which also provides heat. Without TV or the Internet, we can settle in with hot buttered popcorn and play family games and board games. And talk. And laugh. And come a little bit closer.

Normally, we choose a "snow day" - a stormy weekend day where we would not plan much of anything else, anyway.

Certainly, the convenience is gone for that day, but it's a lot of fun, and the serenity you feel from it is priceless. Here is what we get from it: in addition to the relaxing atmosphere of getting out of the rat race for a few hours, and bringing our family closer together, we also learn to appreciate the conveniences of our world. You don't know what you have until you lose it. It's a bit like fasting - when the fast is over, the food tastes so much better!

If you decide to try this (we do it at least twice per year), please feel free to share your experiences with others. Who knows - maybe it will catch on.

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