Borrowing a thread (sytråd)
I borrowed a piece of navy coloured sewing thread (sytråd) from a fellow human to repair my partner's navy shirt. At home, we have only one thread, in white, because it works for all my clothes, my partner's white t-shirts, and all our home textiles. I could buy a navy one too (from a charity shop or a small local shop, for example), but there is something in the act of borrowing that an act of buying does not fulfil. Borrowing celebrates healthy and normal dependence on fellow humans, allows others to be of help, encourages one to live with only what is lagom (just right in Swedish) and no more than that. It normalises borrowing and thus takes power away from capitalism, though of course in a small way. I think it inspires fellow humans to become more open to other options, such as borrowing, taking things for free from byttestationer (swap shops), gifting, rather than buying and selling. When I was growing up, borrowing was seen as something done only in the situations when a person cannot afford to buy something. This is so wrong! Over the years, on my minimalist and zero-waste path, I have borrowed a lot and have become very comfortable with it. I borrowed all kitchen items when I moved from England to Sweden and from Sweden to Finland. I borrowed clothes from friends. My partner and I have borrowed tools from his ex partner and children's clothes from her too, when their child stayed with us. It feels that there are so many things that can be borrowed rather than bought.