nothing wasted

there is an incredible amount of satisfaction i get from getting the most out of the silly little material things in my life. i imagine that it's part of my duty to the planet - one of those little daily offerings to the world, one of my baby steps towards being a good person and being pleased with my contributions to the universe.

i believe that everything adds up. the good, and the bad. the things we do accumulate and really do leave a footprint behind us. that's why i try not to waste anything. and i mean anything.

food goes without saying. i use up every little scrap, either in another dish, as leftovers, or as a contribution to the compost pile. there are too many hungry mouths in the world to toss out food.

lately, we have been manic recyclers. but it's a mania i feel good about. i save jars that i like for dry foods, and sometimes bring them to the co-op to fill with bulk goods. the rest, i recycle, along with cans, plastic containers, paper, and paperboard. it's becoming habit to really pause before tossing anything. i think it's an important habit to acquire.

the best way to prevent excess trash is to not have it in the first place... which is why i've also been thinking before buying. it's actually quite easy, because most food that is good for you has minimal packaging to begin with.

everything else, i try to use until it has nothing more to give. i wear my clothes and shoes out, and try to take good care of them so they will last as long as possible. otherwise, they are off to goodwill or handed down. we don't have much stuff at all, but the furniture and things that we do have, no matter how old and ratty, we try to take care of it all and pass on what we no longer need. the idea is that nothing is wasted, nothing collects dust.

we're by no means perfect - in fact, the other night i tossed out the remains of a disappointing take-out meal that, had i eaten the rest, i may have been ill - literally. but it's the recognition that matters - the fact that i even thought about it is a step.

i believe that it's essential to mankind that we maintain aware of ourselves, our actions, and the impact that we do and can make. while something as thoughtless as tossing rubbish shouldn't put a kink in your day, i do think that taking small measures to pay attention to these things can open our eyes to even better solutions.

shhhh don't tell

i'm enjoying writing to a blog that no one knows about... it's almost like having a diary and leaving it out in the open where you know someone will find it...

as long as i have that false sense of privacy, it's easy to tell secrets, vent and lecture as if to some invisible, eager ears. it's almost dangerously easy. until i get that first comment, i am content in my fantasy.

the in-betweens

it seems lately that my life is always teetering back and forth, playing with the fine line between too much work and too much fun. in either case, it's constant excess. always go go go. there are so few moments of peace, of calm. and even those moments must be penciled in.

work seems to suffocate every weekday. my dayjob is a constant race of completing tasks so that more tasks can be assigned, always working as quickly and efficiently as possible, my mind continually sorting and unsorting, organizating and reorganizing. the scramble dances its way into the evening, when i begin the evening routine of household chores. dinner, dishes, cleaning, laundry, litter box. bills gas groceries. garden recycle compost.

i don't wish to complain, as i've chosen my life and am quite happy with it. and the minutes that are not completely consumed by work are consumed entirely by play.

i can't imagine working so hard, every day, without giving equal effort in having fun. every second of work is motivated by the quiet buzz in the back of my head... the stirring of anxious anticipation of something great coming up... parties. campfires. friends. conversations. drinks. road trips. movies. dancing. good reads. good wine. good food. i play hard, and i love it.

but it's the in-betweens where everything happens. where the stirring begins, where the excitement happens. where the motivation and determination is planted. the quiet, quick little moments between the work and the fun where i am stuck with myself, my thoughts. it's the meditative drive to and from on the northway. it's the seconds before sleep staring at the ceiling. the contemplative glance around the kitchen after a great meal. and yes, even those moments alone in the loo with nothing much else to do.

these are the minutes, seconds even, that define everything else. the definitive pauses that allow us to chart the path for tomorrow, or next week, or next year. life, lately, has been a little song of go go go go pause. go go go go pause. and it's at the pause, in between the gos where we find the strength, reason, and will to continue.