This blog was started, and is intended to illustrate that environmentalism happens through small acts, is not difficult, and that it does not always have to be some big life changing event that forces you to live in the tree tops with no electricity. All that being said, one of my small acts was to start this blog to gain some friends to help me save the world.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Oh the guilt


I think through the course of this blog I have made it pretty apparent that I have problems (way more than Jay Z).  Freud's head would probably explode if he had ever met me.  I get that we all have problems, no one is immune, but my greatest problem lately (I say laltely b/c I live in denial) is guilt.  The guilt, I hate to admit it, plays a large role in my life.  Now whether that is good or bad (probably bad, great now I feel guilty) I do not know.  But it does become a driving force.  Now this is not to say I am doing a bunch of bad stuff that I feel guilty for, quite the opposite (see there is that denial again) it is rather that I feel guilty because I feel like I should do more.  
I am not growing all my own food, ahhh the guilt.  I am not living off the grid, oh my this is crushing me.  I still have plastic crap in my house and the other day I threw it away because I could not recycle it, insert loud sobbing noises here.  And then to top it off I feel guilty about thinking mean thoughts that other people do not feel guilty enough.  What is their thought process, or lack of, that just lets them toss things (and unfortunately people and animals too) aside and not worry about them anymore.  Is no one else thinking about how to make the future planet a happy place.  Yes by all means enjoy the present, and be present, but make sure every moment moving forward (time is weird like that) is worth enjoying too, for yourself and others.
Where is all this coming from and where am I going with it?  Well this is coming about for two reasons one, I have been away from the blog and I feel guilty about it (but I have a million great excuses) and two we just got back from a camping trip and I for sake of convenience threw away something I shouldn't have.  For the rest of my trip (and beyond apparently) I was kicking myself for my lazy attitude.  But the guilt became too much to bear and now we have this post, you can thank me later.  On the positive side of this situation I (and my support system) made sure to bring home anything that needed to be recycled or dealt with in a less lazy manner.  
Look I use this blog for two reasons therapy (aka to whine) and as an attempt to bring about world peace by sharing ideas, like Leftover Love and the plastic bag petition.  And although lately I have been using the therapy option a bit more, I think that good ideas can come from therapy.  I think that if we could not so much as to guilt people into doing things, but rather get them to think and remember concepts, like there is no away, then we can change some thought processes, and just might bring about world peace from the so many bright people out there, who just needed a whiner like me (have to try and get some credit) to spur a brilliant idea.  We have to be aware of consequences that arise from issues like the garment factory collapse in Bangladesh or the rhino's slaughter in Mozambique.  They may not happen in your backyard, but being as interconnected as we are they will have an effect on us.  We have to not be weighed down by guilt, but share our concerns so that people unaware become aware and create solutions.
I will end with this quote by Nelson Mandela that a friend (not family member) posted online the other day (for totally unrelated purposes, but I still think it applies), it said

"I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death."

Let's get over the guilt, stay away from excuses, or whatever else may be holding us back, and use more positive forces to drive us forward to solutions.  Step one read my blog, omg I kill me sometimes, but I love to end with a laugh, ok a smile, ok a smirk (what ever I will take it) :) 



Sunday, June 2, 2013

Weeds

A friend of mine posted the below statement on Facebook, and I thought it was so very well said and definitely worth sharing.  So here is Erin W.  Enjoy!

I have been thinking about this for some time. Who, or what, determines a weed? Is it something once decided and never questioned again? Is it decided only by what the grower wants and what he doesn’t? The clover, with its fragrant white flowers and lush green is a persistent nuisance, and attracts bees which make honey. Yes, bees make honey. Dandelions, tall and lanky, sprout tall and require more frequent mower passes. Honeysuckle can take over a yard. It is also sold in many stores for its hardiness and unmatched scent. Before we spray these away with poisons that will eventually head for our soils, our foods, our water supply, and rainfall, do we wonder why we spray? Do we reconsider pulling these up by the root? Do we consider the benefits of the natural-grower, the loose-springer, the hardy-climber? Or do we only want regulation and control – a lawn where every blade is identical? 

I have seen the relentlessness of periwinkle, and have watched honeysuckle thwart daffodils. I certainly appreciate the maintenance required of keeping all vital threads in check. But, as our lawns take over this wild world, we must consider the significance of the wild world we are replacing. If you’ve ever tasted a fresh blackberry, you know there is purpose there.

This is no mere plant defense. As we increasingly communicate and receive information through our systematic intelligence sources – our devices, our google - what wild thoughts are dying for the poison we are pumping? Just as dandelions and blackberries seem to spring out of nowhere, so do some of the most valuable thoughts, the ones that could heal our minds, and thus our world, if we would allow them to breathe. When you simply be, it is incredible what “comes” to you in the quiet that is never quiet. You begin to see the strength and resourcefulness of the human mind, released from the distraction of entertainment. You begin to reconsider your priorities. You wonder what determines a valuable thought and what determines a weed.