A few more prompts

Next prompt:  Try. What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it? (Author: Kaileen Elise)


For 2010 I wanted to try a picture a day for a year. I made it all the way through August, but then I could not stomach the idea of sitting in front of a computer and editing and uploading pictures. With an online master's, your participation and even your textbook reading all take place online. I got really sick of the computer. But I do not regret my decision to stop the project. There will be other opportunities.

For 2011, I want to try to simplify my life. That's why I put the photo of the stop sign up: I want to remember to STOP and think before I act, to stop buying and to stop taking on extra responsibilities.


I am ready for this - I spent the last month not shopping at all, and I have truly enjoyed it. I can honestly say that this time around, I did not feel the urge to buy anything. In the past, I limited my purpose to environmental issues mostly, so I could buy digital items and services. This time, I looked at environmental issues, financial benefits, and attachement issues. I found it refreshing to not buy anything but groceries. I didn't even miss the almost daily latte and have instead learned to appreciate a good cup of loose leaf tea. And I appreciated more of my attentions being diverted from things to activities and people.

Partly what helped make this easy for me is that my husband decided to join me this time around. Having the most important people in your life onboard with these kinds of decisions is so incredibly helpful.

Another thing I want to try in 2011 is a residential retreat. I am not sure I will be able to fit it in with all the other traveling I have scheduled, but I am certainly going to look into it.

Healing. What healed you this year? Was it sudden, or a drip-by-drip evolution? How would you like to be healed in 2011? (Author: Leonie Allan)


I had some great down time this summer. Reading especially helped heal me. Because I read so much for work, it was especially nice to revisit the concept of pleasure reading. I read Shantaram, which I loved, as well as some cheesy mysteries. For my trip to Dallas, I am taking The Book Thief. I am terrified of flying, which is always allayed by a good, gripping read.

This "healing" was a slow process, but as the summer unfolded, I become more enthusiastic about everything.

For 2011, I would like to be energized by my travels and by having some free time. As I mentioned before, I am putting my master's on hold starting in a few weeks, and because I am no longer department chair, I have less work to carry home at night. Consequently, I hope to have some more time to play - to hang out with my kids, to cook, to read, to craft, and to meditate.

So Glad I Have My Job

I laughed more today than I usually laugh at a stand-up comedy routine. I love my job.

Two best lines from today:
Me: Who are these people? (Pointing to a picture.)
Student: They're PILGRIMS, Mrs. Macy. That's why you're an English teacher.

Student to another student: Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's violates all public speaking codes of conduct to HIT an audience member.

Anyway, I promised myself that I would share my ideas about reducing, reusing, and recycling this month, and I'm feeling like a nag. Since I've already hit 92% on my resolutions, according to my chart on the Happiness Toolbox, I'm not going to push it as much.

Meanwhile, I am thinking loving thoughts for all those people out there suffering from depression. I encountered one today, and I will spend my weekend worrying about this person.

Recycled Art

I have been playing with some recycled materials for a craft project. Not being able to buy anything makes me look around for more available materials. In particular, I am covering a binder and using an old wool jacket for part of the design.

This process got me thinking about recycled art, so I spent some time browsing web pages of recycled art galleries.

Here's one I found that had a wide variety of artists. They have both crafts and what I could consider art. This piece made me giggle.

I thought this glass kitchen ware was pretty cool.

And I had fun shopping Etsy stores trying to find a present for a friend who is very eco-friendly herself and who also happens to write. I finally found this, but if your birthday is in early February and your name is Terri and you are a vegetarian, don't follow that link.

So that's enough of my link-heavy post. Wish I knew if I could use other people's images in my own blog legally and ethically.

Happy day, everyone.

Ethical Shopping

On top of trying to shop in an environmentally friendly manner, I am also trying to shop in a more human friendly manner. For me, this means shopping for fair trade products or products that are made in the U.S. and therefore under strong labor laws.

Well, I haven't been shopping at all, but I have been browsing online, trying to find stores that sell fair trade products. It isn't as easy I expected. I mean, I could buy this or these, but neither suit my style.

But I finally found a store that has what they call "organic, eco-friendly, and fair trade fashion" all for a relatively reasonable price, especially when you shop the sales. Where can you enjoy "organic, eco-friendly, and fair trade fashion," you ask? It's called Fair Indigo. Check it out.

Smile!

This last week has been rough, so I've been avoiding blogging at the risk of sounding whiney. I am still reading and thoroughly enjoying The Happiness Project. Gretchen Rubin is inspiring in her self-reflection and her structured method to acheiving happiness. I respond to that kind of thing. I do wonder how she can sometimes state facts and studies without actually citing them, but there must be something I am missing. Oh, and if you're looking for a good gym-read, this is it. It's engaging while also being a very light and easy read.

Meanwhile, I am still not shopping, still turning off lights, still encouraging my daughter and my students to recycle and whatnot. I am surprised at how easy this month has progressed in terms of me not shopping. I am liking the quieter weekends sans Old Navy, Target, and Famous Footwear. Things seem slower around here when we're not spending three hours of a perfectly good weekend day shopping for socks for one kid, a sweater for the other, nylons for me, and . . . well, we don't spend a lot of time shopping for Jason. He doesn't want much, and when he does want something, it's usually fast because he runs into Best Buy knowing exactly what game or headphone set he wants.

I am excited that I have a plan for the first charity project of the year for DD and me. We are going to work at The Educator's Closet hanging and organizing clothes. The Educator's Closet serves two functions: They take old office supplies and house them for educators to use, and they also organize clothing drives, coat drives, etc. for local families in need. I think this is a great starting project for the two of us. We'll be doing one a month for 2010.

And for my enviro sharing for the day: Did you know that "[r]ecycling 1 ton of plastic saves 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space?" 'Tis true, according to Earth 911.

***

I have a lot to smile about - kisses from my kids, the smell of herbs on my hands, and the approaching three-day weekend. What's making you smile these days?

Interesting Energy Tidbit

The authors of the web page Energy Audits, Energy Efficient Homes, Save Energy, Energy Conservation, Building Green, Sustainability state that "[i]f you add together all of the areas where wind moves into most homes from the outside it is like leaving a window open 6”or more. Air leaks waste as much as 30-40% of a home's energy intake. Your home's energy efficiency will improve vastly by properly sealing cracks, crevices, gaps that allow air to pass directly into a home's conditioned space through the exterior of the structure."

I am trying to pay more attention to the overall energy efficiency of my home. In one of our bathrooms, you can feel the air come in under the door. In fact, in the fall, leave somehow make their way in.

I may actually get an energy audit. It's one of those things that will cost money up front, but hopefully in the long run will save money and be more environmentally friendly.

How energy efficient is your home?

» Consumerism vs. minimalism | mnmlist.com

On the mnmlist web page, the author has written an article on how to be more minimalist in your approach to shopping. I like his ideas:

» Consumerism vs. minimalism mnmlist.com:

"Learn to be more conscious of my impulses when I'm ready to buy something."
For the first few months of no shopping, I found myself accidentally paying for impulse buys before I realized that it conflicted with my resolution. The more often I practice low impact months, the easier it becomes to avoid impulse purchases.

"Learn to pause, and to breathe, to let the physical desire wane."
Being mindful of the physical sensations I get from shopping not only allow me to make more appropriate shopping choices, but it also is a practice in everyday mindfulness and awareness of the body. I get lots of benefits from being aware of the thrill I get from shopping. Before I started this, I wasn't even aware that I got any thrill from shopping.

"Force myself to wait, if the purchase isn't an absolute necessity."
That's what my entire month forces me to do. It's amazing how much I think I need when I am in the store and seeing color and shape. At home, it doesn't seem so necessary.

"Let myself think about it, and analyze whether it's something I really need to buy. Often the answer is no. "
I am still working on this.

"Slowly improve upon this, over time, as I always make mistakes."
One of my newer mottos is to cut everyone, myself included, some slack.

So which of these quotes most speaks to you?

Acquisition Versus Living

I have been reading a lot about consumption patterns, simplifying, and intentions. Recently, I stumbled upon the following quote from Zen Habits:

How to Want Very Little: "What you need to do is learn to get lost in activities rather than acquisition. Instead of being strung along by the latest gizmo, learn to transplant that process into an outlet such as writing, music or drawing. Focus on doing interesting things rather than buying interesting things."

It is true that most Americans easily get lost in acquisition. I see it in my own family on a regular basis. It isn't that we even want the item so much as we want the high we get when we acquire something new. You can read about this in the book Hooked!: Buddhist Writing on Greed, Desire and the Urge to Consume.

In the communities surrounding both of my hobbies, stashing is encouraged. "Stashing," it should be noted, is nothing but a euphemism for hoarding. In the sewing world, we encourage one another to stash (hoard) fabric; in the paper crafting world, we encourage one another to stash (hoard) paper and embellishments. I found myself spending more time shopping for fabric, patterns, books and crafting items than I was spending time on the actual crafts themselves. Completely ridiculous, really, but it was my pattern. My low-impact months have taught me to spend less time in the crafting stores, more time in my crafting space doing crafts. More time with my kids, less time shopping for them. More time reading less time in Borders.

I know you're probably thinking that I have stated the obvious, but when you mindlessly go about life, you miss the obvious, which is why I think committing to a month of no shopping is a worthy endeavor. It forces mindfulness.

So that is my goal for this low-impact month - to really focus on doing more things I enjoy and less time in stores.

Happy new year!

Don't forget to shop for your favorite child at Once Upon a Child. As one friend said, you don't have to deal with all the twisty things that come with new toys! Plus, the one in Reno is especially cool because an especially cool person owns it. :)

Join Me: Low Impact Month of January

Americans are consumers. Just look at the rhetoric that surrounds the current economic crisis. We have the opportunity to reevalute as a society what our values are and to restructure our economic system so that it is more responsible (environmentally and socially) as well as more sustainable (because let's face it, an ever-increasing cycle of production-and-consumption has to crash at some point). But instead, we're concerned with how much people are spending.

However, we can each make a difference individually by our consumption habits, which is why I am inviting anyone and everyone to join me in a month of responsible consumption for January 2010. This doesn't have to be huge: it's as much about making yourself more aware of your spending as it is about anything concrete. So join me. I'd love the company.

I'm hoping to go big here - or maybe more aptly labeled "go really small" - but that isn't necessary for you. You can make a difference in your consumption patterns and your awareness just by working on one element of you consumption for a month.

You could commit to any or all of the following:

• Not buying anything besides basic groceries



• Bringing your own bag to the grocery store



• Bringing your own reusable cup to your favorite coffee shop



• Recycling more - not just cans and bottles - recycle those items you don't use anymore by taking them to FISH (or other local charities) or joining Freecycle.



• Along those same lines, recycle electronic goods. Computers can go to Computer Corps.



• Carpooling/biking/walking as much as possible



• Buying only shade-grown, fair-trade coffee beans



• Turning off lights when not in a room



• Turning off your computer when it's not in use



• Unplugging electrical items and/or cords when not actually using them



• Buy only used items



• Choose products that are more responsible - less packaging, American made (less energy in shipping with strong labor laws) - or made by conscientious companies as suggested by Responsible Companies.Com



• Not buying fast food



• Using cloth napkins



• Put a stop to your junk mail



• Buy only from eco-friendly co-ops like this one



• Volunteer in a community clean-up activity



• Volunteer for a local organization that promotes environmentally or socially responsible behavior, such as Muscle Powered; a local charity, such as Advocates to End Domestic Violence; or a national organization, such as Grassroots Recycling Network. (I'll talk more about this later, but much of our consumption habits come from shopping being a hobby. Finding other, more meaningful activites to engage us promotes more responsible consumption.)
  


• Buy organic whenever possible



• Eating vegetarian a couple times a week



• Buy from local artisans, especially for gifts



• Get others involved. Kids love projects, so consider getting a child to commit to one of the above with you and make it a fun family project.

Got any other ideas? Let me know about them.

2009 shopping

I am still following Gwenn Bell's Best of 2009 blog prompts. Today's is shopping - where did you spend most of your money? I hate to say it, even though I work very hard to nix the Starbucks habit during my low-impact months, I always end up working my way back to regular Starbucks lattes. It's not a daily habit, but it's pretty darn close.

My coffee addiction doesn't really bother me; however, not only is Starbucks a waste of money, but it's also a garbage-producing machine. Think about all those green and white (or red this time of year) cups that fill our landfills because of people like me.

Still, there's something very comforting about sitting at my desk at work or on the couch while I'm reading to my kids or at my computer desk while holding a nice, hot latte.

I read about this study where they told people they were coming in for a survey. At the elevator entrance, they had a girl standing with a clipboard who took their names and basic demographic information before they were to head upstairs to the actual study. Unbeknownst to the participants, the study was actually taking place there. For half the people, she held a hot drink and would ask them to hold it while she wrote down information. The other half were asked to hold her cold drink. Once upstairs, they were asked what they thought about the person at the elevator - was she friendly, warm, outgoing, etc.? Those who were asked to hold the hot cup were much more like to see her as a friendly, outgoing and caring person than those who held the cold cups thought she was.

That study resonated with me because I really feel more calm and in a weird way kind of safe when I hold a hot cup in my hands. It's as much about the experience as it is about the taste or the caffeine. That's why the travel mugs don't really cut it - because they insulate too well.

Lots of silly rationalization for my sloppy habit. That's what blogging is all about, right?

Low Impact, Round IV

I'm doing another low-impact consumption month. I am going about it a little differently this time. Instead of just making it about environmental issues, I am trying to incorporate awareness of clinging and finances. In the past, I didn't buy anything (or avoided buying anything) that meant more trash in our landfills. This meant I could buy electronic items, such as songs on iTunes and digital scrapbooking items from Two Peas.

My goal this time is to let go of the rush, no matter how small, that comes with acquiring something. If I'm buying an Adobe action or fonts for a digi page, I'm still getting the same rush I get when I buy brads and stickers from Michael's.

I also need to pay more attention to my spending. I'm not someone who goes out an buys a nice, new car or a new couch. I whittle money away. I buy three yards of fabric here and scrapbooking paper there and pants for my son here and a hat for my daughter there. It adds up.

What I want is to be more careful about differentiating between "need" and "want." At least being aware of the two differences may be helpful.

Here's the other issue that has recently come to my attention: I have A LOT of crafting items - paper, ribbon, fabric, patterns, etc. I just emptied my craft area of six bags of stuff to give away and two trash bags of garbage. Although things are cleaner and more organized, there is still way too much stuff. Since Sawyer was born, I have sewn very little - an outfit for my daughter and a few small items, like napkins. This hasn't stopped my purchasing of fabric and patterns, however. So I'm sure you can imagine how things start to pile up.

One possible glitch is that my sister-in-law is coming out here for a week with her three kids. We haven't seen them in five years; in fact, I've never met the two youngest. It may very well mean some fast food jaunts and what-not, but I'm willing to postpone the project if necessary. She's definitely worth it.

Low Impact Update

Here's an update on my low-impact shopping month. It hasn't been as successful as I would have liked, but I think I have established some healthier habits. Things I did:

1. Made 12 cloth napkins, which my daughter loves to use.
2. Cut back on the amount of bottled drinks I drink
3. Mostly cut out fast food, with a few exceptions
4. Purchased very little. I have purchased a couple gift cards, some scrapbooking adhesives, and a tiny ink pad. This week I will need to purchase a couple gifts.
5. Talked to my daughter about why we don't need or want to buy everything we think we need or want. I got lucky because Wall-e helped with this a lot.

I have not:

• Invited others to join me as planned.
• Ridden my bike at all. It's still needs to be summerized. No, that's not a typo. Not summarized, but summer- (as in the season) - ized.
• Walked many places.
• Made any more cloth shopping bags, although I was given a free Trader Joe's shopping bag at the conference I went to.
• Completely stuck to my plan of having meat for only one meal a day. Sometimes I will have a sandwich with meat for lunch, plus meat for dinner.

It's Happening Again/Hoarding (be careful how you read that)

I am not receiving emails. Harumph! So if any of you have sent me an email that I haven't responded to, let me know.

My low-impact commitment slid a little last week. I ate fast food three days in a row. (gasp!) I was with friends two of the days and therefore not the only one deciding where we were going, but that's not really an excuse.

I went shopping, but at garage sales. I bought some clothes for DD (four pieces for a total of a buck, not bad, huh?), a mojito set (so NOT needed), and some Nalgene bottles (helpful, not needed).

Although shopping at garage sales does fall under the allowed list, it isn't helping me stop clinging to the process of acquisition, which is what I think is behind the problem. Cure the symptoms or cure the underlying illness?

I am a typical American girl. As a teenager, many weekends were spent shopping. It was a past time. This hobby slowed some while I was in college and I couldn't afford it.

Then I had a colicky baby who liked to be out and about, and I desperately needed to get out of the house. We did a lot of window shopping.

Ok. So often the "window shopping" turned into "cash register shopping."

Fast forward five years, and you'd see I have a house packed full of stuff. Not like those people you see on Oprah where you they have stuff piled so high they have to dig hallways for themselves. They call it hoarder's syndrome. But I have too much stuff and no where to put it.

If you ask me, this entire country has hoarder's syndrome. I'm not being judgemental. I can't because I'm right there with the rest of the country. But I am trying to slowly make a difference in my patterns of shopping and hopefully my children's too.

Originally my plan was to be more environmentally conscience. Then I read Hooked, the book of Buddhist writings on the need to consume, and I realized that my problem was that I am addicted to the process of acquisition.

So maybe garage sale shopping it not such a good idea.

I did make some cloth napkins and am making more. DD loves to use them.

New Playlist, Lazy Day

I added a Playlist to my blog. I hope you two readers out there don't find it too irritating.

Yesterday was a lazy day. I was craving a big hamburger, and since I'm not doing fast food, we went to Chili's, which turned out to not be such a good idea. The hamburgers come in baskets with a piece of paper underneath the food. My daughter had two baskets: one for her cheese pizza and one for the little tiny cup of mandarin oranges. It seemed wasteful.

Then I sat in front of the TV and watched MTV's America's Best Dance Crew (or whatever it's called). Love them Fanny Packs!

Signing off.

Awakening the Dreamer

A fellow sangha member sent me a link to this organization called Awakening the Dreamer. (You can find it at awakeningthedreamer.org). It so fits well with my plan this month. Here is what they suggest for personal practice:

My Relationship with Earth/Environmental Sustainability

• Identify habits in the way I live that are unsustainable for me or the earth, that I intend to do something about
• Eat less ? _______ and more? _______
• Carpool, bicycle, take public transportation or walk ___ times each week in lieu of driving my own internal combustion vehicle
• Begin to investigate "one-earth" methods of transportation, heating, & refrigeration at home & work
• Purchase only items whose packaging, ingredients and methods of production are sustainable and support life. (Note: This may require research!)
• Spend some aware moments outdoors, in nature every single day
• Plant a tree, a garden
• Clean up a beach, trail, field, path, roadway
• Pay attention to and track the natural cycles of the moon, sun(light), stars, plants and animals

My Relationship with Others/Community/Social Justice

• Regularly initiate conversations about a sustainable, socially just & just human presence on the planet with friends, family, and the world at large
• Go online & investigate 10 "civil society" groups and/or initiatives that intrigue me & join at least one
• Investigate the current topics in my local community with regard to politics & environmental/social issues
• Write/email letters to:
• Buy only what I need (food, medicine) for a specific time period. Invite others to participate.
• Notice the times when society/the culture relates to me primarily as a consumer
• Make a micro loan to a third world entrepreneur and establish an e-mail relationship with him/her on kiva.org.
• Take a workshop on unlearning racism
• Set aside a percentage of my monthly income to support organizations working for social justice
• Open myself; educate myself about privilege/oppression
• Stay connected with participants from the Symposium

My Relationship with Self/Spiritual Fulfillment

• Designate a regular daily spiritual practice - meditation/yoga/prayer/other
• Investigate & watch for examples of interconnectedness everywhere
• Consider & pay attention to dreams, daydreams & visions as possible messages from another dimension of reality. Let the wisdom of Earth speak through me.
• Manage my conversation (internal and external) to be one of possibility and inspiration to myself and others
• Be compassionate & forgiving with myself, even when I don't do everything I think I should
• As a radical act: want less, buy less, use less
• Consciously read, listen to, watch, & engage with things & individuals that empower, uplift and/or have me be a more effective agent for Changing the Dream
• Read one page of something that inspires me each morning or evening
• Explore what is "enough" for me.

These are just a few examples, to get you thinking. Keep in mind these practices are meant to create an opening in our habitual way of going through life. These are guidelines, beacon lights, not sledgehammers. Compassion begins at home. When you notice you have gone to sleep, let go of the self-judgment, awaken, and renew your practice. Find partner(s) to support you in your practice. Have a great time with this!

Much of this I find inspiring. Sometimes it makes me feel like even when I'm committing myself like I am this month, that I am not even coming close to what I should be doing. I guess I'm just one girl trying to change her assumptions and her actions one baby step at a time. I am very much an American girl. Unlike many of my friends, I am very bought into the consumer culture, and it will take a long time for me to reformat my hard drive.

On another note, I did go shopping with my friend today and didn't buy a single thing (except an iced latte in my own to-go cup). Going into the stores knowing I wasn't going to buy really helped, and I didn't feel the urge to buy anything that I normally would have purchased. This just goes to show how important it is to set intentions.

However, I did have an interesting moment of clinging when I was at the check-out counter at Michael's with my friend. Ya' know how they have those impulse shelves by the check-out? Well, I can see why they do that. I suddenly felt the need to buy a set of four Sharpies, a note pad, and some gum. I wanted them. I really wanted them. Especially the Sharpies. How dumb is that?

Adios!

The Test

I'm not a big shopper like some women I know. I don't really enjoy clothes and housewares shopping. Clothes drive me crazy - most don't look good on me, require dry cleaning, and/or cost way more than they should. I find it more frustrating than fun. Housewares just seem like a boring necessity.

But I am a shopper of a different kind. I like to shop for crafting items. Today I am accompanying a friend to a craft store for a sale they're having. My rule is no purchasing of anything outside of groceries, which means I can't buy anything.

This is like an alcoholic going to a bar with his friends on Friday night.

But since much of what I'm trying to do is stop grasping, I think this could be a good practice for me.

Peace and happiness to all.

Day 5 of Low Impact

Today is day 5 of my low impact consumption. I'm not feeling well after eating junk food last night - coffee, hot dog, mojito, more coffee, and two pieces of key lime pie. I want some comfort food, specifically a Truckee Steal sandwich from Deli Francesco. But, alas, it's off limits. I haven't really felt tested until today.

It's easy to make excuses for our shopping habits, especially when it comes to food. We all need to eat. I will need eat lunch, and I can even convince myself that I need that Truckee Steal. That's why I like to give myself these challenges. It opens my eyes to what I need and don't need. What I can live without. Even more rewarding is when I find out that I actually enjoy life better when I live without.

I went to the movies the other night. Didn't get popcorn. Instead I brought my own cookies. I felt much better when the night was over than I would have had I eaten buttery popcorn.

Oh yeah, and I'm losing weight!

The picture is included because it's a reminder to me as to why I do this. It's because of my children, my neighbor's children, my friends' children, the world's children. I want to make the world a better place for them, one with less pollution and waste and one where people don't look for happiness on a Walmart shelf.

Day 3 of Low Impact

I revised my low-impact plan for the month of July. The additions to the plan are italicized.

• Purchasing of nothing except necessary groceries.
• Making more cloth grocery bags out of fabric from my stash.
• Walking when possible.
• Talking to my daughter about our shopping habits and what it means to the larger community.
• Inviting others to join me.
• Making cloth napkins for the house.
• Using my cloth shopping bag more often.
• Eating meat for only one meal a day as much as possible.

Last week, DD and I planted seeds. It's so much fun to see the plants grow. I have a black thumb; I'm hoping these make it into August.

Packaging

One of the things I most struggle with in terms of the low-impact consumption is explaining to friends why it is useful for me to not buy things. A friend was frustrated with me the other day when I explained that I wouldn't be buying any sewing patterns, even though there was going to be a good sale. Her question was Why is it wasteful if you're going to actually use it?

The point for me is to restructure my thinking. What is useful, what is needed and what is wanted are all relative. I can sew with patterns I already have. I don't need more just because I want more.

The other issue, however, has to do with waste. Check out the following pictures. This stylus is one of four we ordered.

The following is a picture of all the packaging that the tiny little things came in.

I think it's important to be aware of the waste we create when we're consuming. Anything I buy has garbage that comes with it, garbage that was created using natural resources. I want more responsibility from the companies that I buy from, but more than anything, I want more responsibility from myself.