YurtTrash

I sit here contemplating time and space…searching for meaning. I have reclaimed this time and space for thought…putting pencil to paper. I reflect on this writing therapy that I have come to love. In the back of my mind, I wonder if it’s just another drug distracting me from the daily grind. Of course, there is ALWAYS tons to do and never enough time. I feel frantic, much like a fowl missing it’s head due to a very sharp axe. I struggle with “waste of time” , and what IS truly wasted. OH, let me count the ways! Have I found just another diversion or is it much needed clarity within these pages. What does it mean to release my thoughts, my spirit to the world. I believe the impact of this simple act, upon me the writer and you the reader, is truly immeasurable. That is, I have yet to discover an appropriate unit of measurement for thought.

Throughout my blogs, I have released bite-sized chunks of my soul to fly around the world reaching people I may never know. Maybe someone else is struggling with direction and finds comfort in not being alone. I hope there is a spark lighting your own passion, as I journey towards mine. I may never know the importance of telling this tale, but I still believe it to be true. I must rely on my faith, through this cold, dark winter, that spring will come and these seeds WILL sprout. I know you have found your way to this single page, and that may be the most important thing that happens today. What is it that you wish to become, and do you still believe that it is possible?

My focus continues on the little things and how they have enormous impact. I trudge through my cabinets, sorting the precise from the useless. It’s hard to know what the future will require, so it’s all a game of chance. I’m starting to understand that it is ALL precise and useless. This does NOT make my job any easier. As I explore, all I seem to find is more questions to answers I haven’t asked yet. I remind myself about the importance of mindfulness. I take a deep breath and discover some peace within this relentless task. I find beauty all around simply because I stop to notice. It’s a practice and a choice each day.

As a child, one of my most comforting havens was on our porch swing, wrapped in a blanket, absorbing a thunderstorm. They were always thick with Thunder and spectacular bolts of Lightning. The heavy down pour would leave me with a “washed clean” feeling…as if all the cobwebs had been swept away. Can you find the calm within a storm? I had friends who were terrified of storms; they became paralyzed with fear, trapped under their covers for hours. I just felt free. Storms remind me that stillness can be very empowering.

This blog is my way of finding that stillness within the storm of my life. I write to bring awareness to myself, as well as you. We ALL have choices. Yet, we often reject this…feeling trapped in the maze we have created for ourselves. We ALWAYS have choices…be inspired to give up the illusions, to accept the beauty within ourselves and others, and most importantly to welcome the power, which resides within, to change what we see as broken. .

I like vegetables, which might be explained by my fond memories of eating snow peas straight out of my mother’s garden. They were sweet and crisp and what fun it is to see a plant become food…I realize that somethings have always been. As I walk through the Super Food Plus and wonder what’s so “super” about this new way of feeding ourselves, I let out a deep sigh and long for days of old. We all just accept or even welcome the packaging of these “food-like substances” as our saviour. Mothers, from coast to coast, fall prey to the “high in calcium”, dye injected, plastic-like food that is easy to prepare but difficult to digest. The cartoon character on the box is all that seems to matter these days. We don’t stop to connect the dots between the weekly visits to the pediatrician and the food on our tables. Blame the manufacturers, the marketeers, the executives or even the grocers themselves, but THEY are not responsible for our health, for our well being. Yes, I AM talking about more than just excess calories; it’s empty calories! Just because it’s on the shelves does not mean that we MUST buy it…come on, let’s show some restraint. Of course, I am talking to myself as well as you!

I find it impossible to pinpoint what is truly healthy as I walk down these aisles. I read ingredients, but that often requires a magnifying glass and some sort of degree in nutrition. There’s an internal struggle between my love for whole food and a busy schedule, which compels me to buy “quick” food just to make it through the week. I feel stuck in the middle of knowing what I should do and not being able to do it. Falling short only tugs on my already tattered spirit. I believe in organic food. I also believe in local food. My wallet gasps at the price of both of these, so I do the best my conscious will allow. I dream of the day that all my food is grown or raised within a 30 mile radius…Dreaming is what gets me through the day! If one cuts meat out of a few meals per week, they have a greater impact on our oil dependence than buying a hybrid…A fun and nauseating fact I feel required to include. Natural gas is used to produce fertilizers that are used to grow the feed, and energy is also consumed to process and transport this beloved meat. For the record, I do eat meat, but that’s a topic for another day.

There are so many things to think about when buying food, that usually all I am able to do is focus on which brand is on sale this week. I will sometimes look for the origin of a product, but there is little information in regards to how many miles or gallons of gas it took to get this jar of peanut butter to my local store. Since nearly everything is packaged in plastic, shouldn’t we know how much petroleum was consumed to produce this pretty little package that creates an impulse to choice this rice over the other 50 varieties. Is it too much to ask for the TRUE cost of the food I have to choose from?…Does this matter to you?

We have too many choices, which leads to “Store Daze”. I wonder around with my two kids in tow, trying to stay clear of the danger zones. As if the rows of brightly colored packages of sugar-coated sugar wasn’t bad enough, there is now a toy aisle! I can’t seem to make a trip to the grocery store without a, “No, We are NOT buying candy!”. It seems that where some think “More is Better”, I find it wasteful and exhausting of time and resources. For instance, why are there 30 check-out stands, when only 5 are ever used?

Whole food is WHOLE nourishment, which is essential to our starving world. It’s more than WHAT we put into our mouths, but the pathway of the food to our tables. Food absorbs the energy used to produce it, to move it and to prepare it. We still have the all-mightly power of purchase. If we do not buy it, they will not produce it. I encourage you to use your power wisely, as I will work to do the same.

P.S. I strongly suggest checking out sustainabletable.org for more information on food and energy.