Working in a start-up company always takes me back to the basics. What individuals in big companies assume is required for conducting business is optional or not needed at all. Support staff, stationary and supplies orders, and current computer equipment are all standard. As the current efforts documents, no support staff are required, we use what we have, and some of the computer equipment is older than most pets. It can be challenging, but one can survive with the tools that you have at hand.
I catch myself wondering aloud when I see monies spent on what looks like excess. I wonder if you gave the person making the decision to buy the option of keeping the money as a bonus if they would insist on the spending. If we were stewards of the environment with the limited supply, would we order everything that we do?
It is interesting to note examples old and current, very public and quiet observations that most miss, of making do with what is available. A Psalmist noted how one makes a bonfire of weapons of war; “That’s where, using arrows for kindling, he made a bonfire of weapons of war.” (Psalm 76.3) Nothing external, just the materials at hand.
As I embrace the idea fully, I find myself rediscovering truths that have always been with me.
Doing something myself is often more effective than asking someone else to do it for me. Examples include a personal thank-you instead of a message, reloading the copier instead of waiting for someone else to do it, and taking the time to lend a hand when another needs help.
Using existing materials is an act of stewardship, financially and environmentally. Using the backside of a page for the next print works on multiple levels. Disposable pens, old cables, and paper clips are useful. If something works, it works. The fact that the item comes from a new box is not mandatory for it to work.
There are options with what we have. We do not have to wait. We have so much.
