thrift and thrive

Etymology of Thrift

From Middle English thrift, thryfte, þrift, from Old Norse þrift (“thriving condition, prosperity”). Equivalent to thrive +‎ -t.[1]

"His thrift can be seen in how little the trashman takes from his house."

A friend of ours brought our dog Rosie a Christmas gift of two new balls. Rosie already has a dozen or so, but even dogs respond to the glory of new things. Her old balls lose interest in comparison to the new. And so when it comes to our human worship of new things, perhaps we can see it as something normal, even for animals. Rosie will glory in finding a new stick. We and the whole world would be better off being modest in our consumption of things. Thrift, and thrive. There's a connection between the two.

We are at great odds with the former Soviet Union, as Russia attempts to rekindle its old glory through alliances with some pretty mean folks. Those who mis-remember the past are destined to repeat it. The US and Russia had an opportunity to get things right back during the time of Gorbachev. But we saw the events of Glasnost from irreconcilable angles. Reagan claimed that we had defeated the evil empire and offered Americans the glory in being the "only remaining super power." Russia, on the other hand, chose for a time to see the break up of the Soviet Union through a more noble lens while Americans were content to watch Russians fall into abject poverty. It was like the situation at the end of WWI when the Allies withheld support for the German people preferring to watch them suffer. Hitler and Putin are woven from the same cloth as are others in the various "evil empires."

Aren't we having fun now?

Tensions with Iran will divert attention from the impeachment of Donald J. Trump. But in the meantime, I continue to set up the new wood studio at the Clear Spring School. The benches are in place, and we have new shelving for student work. We'll begin moving cabinets today from the old shop to the new.

Make, fix and create.