Everyday life
My partner and I found two plants in the recycling area. Perhaps someone didn't want them or could not keep them. In the past few years I've moved a lot and lived in four countries. Every time I moved, I couldn't take with me the plants I lived with. Maybe another human was in the same situation. When I moved from England to Sweden, my ex partner kept the plants, but on all the other occasions I had to find a new home for the plants.
When my partner and I moved in together, we welcomed a couple of plants into our home. For me it felt like a big decision to invite those beings into our space. Every time I left behind the plants I lived with, I didn't feel good about it. In fact it felt awful. I see them as fellow beings. I took a cutting from one of the plants we found in the recycling area. Hopefully it will grow some roots.
At times I notice that people throw away some items that could serve someone else. Not far from the area where I live in Copenhagen there is a place where people can bring the items they don't want and can take whatever they need. I wish it was more normal to give away, exchange and share. There are such spaces on social media, but personally I never use them. To me it feels much more comfortable to engage in such activities with the people in my community or social circle because then it's not a one-off occasion of giving or sharing, but rather something that is ongoing. For example, with my partner we share the most.
The chair in the picture below my partner has had for many years, 20 or so. He brought it into our new home. On the chair there's my (or our) cotton net bag. I use these bags for so many things, such as laundry, vegetables, and as handbags. Using these bags instead of conventional handbags normalises simplicity. They are inexpensive compared to fashion and status handbags, and likely also use less resources. Of course they don't protect anything from the rain, but I notice that none of the items I usually carry with me need protection. I use a backpack when I need to take my laptop with me.
