D.I.Y-ing?… but why? 🤨 - the Musings of Moko Bi (a D.I.M-ing episode)
Hi. You may call me Moko Bi. These are my musings.
Like a lot of others on this only known Rock with viable life, I have been affected and afflicted by this Covid-19 pandemic. BUT, did the pandemic turn me into a semi domesticated -Sapiens Sapiens, doing it myself - exploring a DIY lifestyle with grand illusions of minimalism? Or was this a path I was already heading (pre-pandemic)? Is my journey towards a full embrace of a DIY attitude fueled by my nature... or by the nurturing resulting from interacting with others?🤨
Having to rely or depend on others may be a necessary - and sometimes evil - part of life. There are the obvious benefits of teaming with other people and getting the advantages and efficiencies that come with team work. BUT, like two sides of a coin, on a flip, it can be completely frustrating at times. A middle - go between - person can unlock opportunities or block them entirely at a whim.
I do wonder if my desire to use my own head, heart and hands to pursue a quasi subsistence living is rooted in my frustrations that stem from the inefficiencies that sometimes result from having to rely on services from third parties.
I am not suggesting being an island onto oneself is a good way to go - No one person obviously possesses every skill to go it alone, nor do I think it’s a healthy social approach. But that doesn’t stop anyone from trying. 😆
After all, mother Necessity is very supportive and sometimes even rewards her children Perseverance and Creativity. 🤨
“So, with the ‘dust’ kinda settling on this new world of pandemic living. I have had to face a choice - keep on living a locked down lifestyle, which serendipitously feeds my closet introverted and germaphobic self or return to a pre pandemic life while adopting an ignorance is bliss perspective. 🤨”
The middle is probably the pragmatic choice. The truth is, the pandemic has been a period of tragic pain and loss, BUT, the pandemic has also aggressively forced an evaluation of lifestyles choices for many around this Rock. Health, economic and social decisions have had to be contemplated with more thought than ever before. Questions like “is this my best self, living my best life?” have come into sharp focus.
For me, during this pandemic period, I have developed a keen interest in a lot of stuff DIY(Do It Yourself) - it was already a pre- pandemic interest, but the need for an isolation lifestyle for pandemic survival further drove my desire for getting skilled and fluent in DIY - Even beyond DIY, I have acquired a desire for a simple domesticated everyday, based on a subsistence lifestyle. Needless to say, I am not very good at it yet - 😆, at least not with the stuff I need to be able to do - to build this subsistence life I crave.
My wood working skills are very much below average, my masonry skills are non existent, my plumbing abilities have progressed the most.
If I am being honest with myself, the last couple years, I have been frozen in place - My mental health hasn’t been great, my OCD has been in high gear within the context of a pandemic world, BUT, I am taking extremely small steps towards thawing my way forward. Being a closet introvert and a germaphobe means it has been a confusing period, and moving forward will be rocky. BUT, I am dragging myself forward and my first step is exploring a DIY lifestyle, with grand illusions of minimalism.
So, why a DIY lifestyle? - Well, I left a lot of things undone, and I need to get stuff moving, but I am not well enough to work directly with or through others. Doing It Myself (D.I.M) allows me to harness my head, heart and hands in getting some measure of control in my everyday - that is sometimes filled with uncertainty and mental exhaustion. BUT, beyond all these words, I enjoy making stuff to meet a need. So, I guess in short, my choice of D.I.M-ing (Do.It.Myself-ing) is part getting things done and part therapy.
So! I have taken on a challenge to find, tame and manage, a patch of earth. Hopefully in a self sustaining and mutually beneficial way - Not sure what that means, but it sounds good, so going with it, 🙂. BUT, before all that I need to get my today in order. After all, like they say, charity begins where you are, 🤨.
So…, I looked into my tools collection AND….
Well that’s a whole other muse! 😝