appreciating vs. consuming

in the dallas vicinity, like most of suburban USA, you are surrounded by row after row of strip malls. every kind of store from big box to random specialty places where you can get your kids hair cut or buy beauty products is represented.   we have created a shopper's paradise in our current architecture and urban planning.  but it is funny how not hard it is to skip shopping when you travel these days because for the most part what you find when you are away is the same stuff you can find at home.  there is very little regionalism left in what we buy.   i think you have to find other activities to help appreciate the true heart of a place.  

my sister made an interesting distinction when were out and about seeing a children's puppet show. (it was free-and where ever you are, thank you Pix for honoring the spirit of my month!) amy said she felt the culture in dallas tended to be more about consuming than appreciating.  a huge metropolitan city with lots of money, dallas has world class museums and a thriving cultural scene.   there is a lot to go see and do and yet my sister says she thinks most people fall into the go out and buy category instead.  dallas isn't alone in this, i'm sure.   it is just that the stores and the restaurants are what you actually SEE when you walk out the door.  it is effortless and like having a built in concierge in your town.  

it occurs to me that the consuming vs. appreciating deal is at the core of my experiment this month.  i think appreciating is probably the best substitute i have for buying.  whether in dallas or back in slc, when the itch strikes to go out i need to arm myself with the desire to do, see, and learn.  i could make a bigger effort to go to a museum or a gallery.  i could go to a concert or to the symphony. i could take a wine class or learn to speak a language.  i could finally go and learn an honest to god craft like knitting or quilting at pipers.  i could bird watch or dig for dinosaur bones....

obviously you could search out the free in all these things (and i will) but i'd rather just accept that this category is something i'd actually rather spend money on.  i'd rather support institutions that help me love my city more by providing me with fun things to do that expand my mind.  i'd rather think of my own mind and body as the commodity to be filled up rather than my closet at home.  i'd rather teach my kids that acquiring knowledge is more fundamental than acquiring stuff.  i like that the very idea of appreciating is theoretical and an intangible "non-commodity" while consuming is an actual activity full of tangibles.  

so there you have it. i officially want to join the culture of appreciation.   is there such a thing? i hope i don't have to move to canada!  maybe this 'culture' can function kind of like a club. you show me your ideas for getting out and doing, i'll show you mine!