LIVING LIGHTLY
I READ the letters to the editor of The Border Mail objecting to green bins as a financial waste. They provide a striking contrast to a friend living with a family member with a severe disability. When I asked him how the green bin was going he said “we love it – now we can tidy the whole place up”.
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It started me thinking how our society is still based on survival of the fittest, even when it comes to a mundane thing like owning or borrowing a box trailer.
Many people can’t use the council’s tip vouchers – it’s hard to “garden blitz” to fill a trailer if you live with a disability, frailty, or constant pain. What if you rent and can’t pile up prunings, can’t access a car with a towball, lack a driver’s licence, or can’t afford trailer hire?
Life is full of hidden indignities for many people and had me contemplating how full membership of our community can be so easily jeopardised by what we overlook and the assumptions we make about our society.
One small thing – a green bin – means my family member can feel that sense of satisfaction of tidying his small garden without sacrificing his pride to ask for help. Feeling normal is priceless.
