The Kindness of Strangers

This morning I was thinking about the kindness of strangers. Its been one thing that I've noticed more about the south---just how much more people seem to go out of their way at times down here. Several times now I've had gentlemen and women go out of their way to open a door for me when my hands have been full and it just seems that so often people operate on a different level of respect here than what I have been used to experiencing. On my first visit down here I had noticed this difference when a man about my age went out of his way to wait for me and get my bag down from the carry-on compartment. This is the type of thing I rarely experienced in the Northwest, although even there....I've seen plenty of moments of kindness....

My husband and I had witnessed this first hand on our marriage weekend when we watched a SUV flip on an icy snowy road as it was headed toward us. The husband and several others all pulled over to help the man get out of his vehicle and get assistance, but I was amazed even more that almost every single car that passed the scene of the accident stopped to ask if they could be of service. It's moments like these when I feel the reality of humanity and believe that in the depths of our souls we do remember our connections to each other.

Thus its been nice to be somewhere where people seem to demonstrate these moments of stranger kindness on a more frequent basis. And its sort of renewed my own faith in humanity just a little bit more. Now I just need to remember to do these small acts of strangerly kindness myself.....

The Beginning of a New Life

Welcome to our patio....which is the most completed space within our home (well the bathroom looks pretty dang good too)! If you look closely you'll see a potted tomato, basil, yellow pepper, and a hot pepper. We probably have missed the actual growing season (IT'S HOT and on the way to get HOTTER) but we figured it was at least worth trying! The flower boxes and hanging basket are filled with flowers--new varieties that I have never seen before but that have gorgeous blossoms and apparently love sun. The two rocking chairs are some that were left by another soldier who changed units so my husband inherited them and we love them. We also have a friendly little lizard who lives where that white fence divides our unit from the neighbors on the patio, and he enjoys sunning himself on the rocking chairs as well.

It's interesting how one's life can go from running around with a full social calendar, working, and finishing school to worrying about how to put the finishing touches on the living room, doing loads of laundry, and making banana bread from almost rotten bananas. I'm learning my way around the military post and the surrounding area, and I have had to succumb I'm sad to admit to shopping at Wal-Mart. Although once the house is set up I'm hopeful that some of those trips into town will subside. I've been busy the last week just getting settled in, repainting my white furniture into brighter colors for the hubby, searching for part time jobs, checking in with the folks back home, and getting the two of us organized as much as possible.

There are some things that have surprised me about this place:
-Even though the produce section is much smaller, produce (and many other foods) are cheaper here "on post" than they were in Oregon.
-Pumping my own gas is faster and much more efficient.
-There is an on post thrift store that I haven't been able to check out yet, but hope to do so.
-There IS a summer farmer's market....while slim pickings....at least the tomatoes are delicious!
-We can recycle everything EXCEPT glass (which is somewhat shocking since you would think glass would be the most mainstream to recycle....in fact only three towns in the entire state recycle it and the closest to us is over two hours away....it still breaks my heart to throw glass away).
-I'm actually not a fan of sales tax.
-Many people in our neighborhood are very active--which is nice to see family members and neighbors out getting exercise together.
-The Louisiana beer I almost like better than our Oregon microbrews.
-And the commissary (grocery store) sells quite a few organic/soy/natural options for food stuffs.

The housing we are in is military associated and I have been glad to see them supposedly taking a more environmental approach. While it's definitely hot outside, the AC is set (except on extremely hot days) to average about 15 degrees below the outside temperature. This allows for relief but not AC overuse...even though there are moments when you feel like you're roasting or too cold! They also request that we replace air filters every month and expect CFL light bulbs to be used. However I plan on putting in a call within the next week to ask if they also have a "take-back"/safe disposal plan in place for the light bulbs. While the bulbs are more energy efficient, they are not some that I typically use due to the mercury content and the fact that most people do not have ready access to dispose of the bulbs appropriately.

The housing company is also starting a new policy which caps the amount of electricity usage a household can use per month. If you go over, you have to pay out of pocket an additional amount. If you are under the cap, the housing company will cut the renter a check. The husband and I already do a pretty good job of running around turning out lights, etc but we do have quite a few electronics plugged in routinely. I'm hopeful that in the next week I'll get my clothesline hung up in the garage, as all this extra heat leads to increased sweating which leads to increased laundry! But hopefully we will be able to end each month under the cap and get money back.

Finally being together means integrating our lifestyles as well as our preferences...hence the repainting of furniture, etc. It also means that we have to make decisions together on what foods to buy and what products to purchase and use. So far it seems that we are maintaining a balance between organic/less toxic foods/products and those that are mainstream. I'm hopeful that eventually we can be cooking and producing more from scratch thus controlling more of what's going into our bodies. We both have the ability to do these things, now it's just creating the time and energy to do so as we become more comfortable in our new environment. For me during this last week that has meant hauling my tote bags around into all the different stores I've been in and realizing how unaccustomed individuals here in Louisiana are to that behavior. However buying my less toxic laundry detergent also gave me the perfect opportunity to educate the checker when she asked me about the product. So there are good surprises and transitions occuring here most definitely!!

And with this lengthy update I'll close for the night! Hope all are well!

Road Trippin'

My time in Oregon ended with my master's hooding ceremony, loading up the U-Haul trailer and the back of my father's truck, and spending a great evening BBQing with family to celebrate these life changes of mine. After four days of traveling, my father, Granny, and I arrived here in Louisiana. The four days with them were fabulous, creating even more wonderful memories and exposing us to a variety of new sites and scenes. I'm attaching some pictures here from the trip. Hope you enjoy them!

Oregon countryside

Wyoming
Storm and sunset Kansas/Oklahoma border

We made it! My new home....Louisiana.

Technically the pictures are somewhat out of order but I couldn't get them to move around on this computer. At least you get the gist of some of what we saw! Now the husband and I have been setting up home and I've been trying to learn my way around. I hope to post some more pictures and an update in the next day or two! Best to everyone!

Just Some Thoughts for the Day

I was just standing in the kitchen savoring the enjoyment of an in-season peach and thinking about how maybe, just maybe I haven't drifted as far away from the movement as I had thought. I'm wearing the same hand-me-down sweater from my best friend that I've worn and loved to death for the last 3 years, I thought of how little I have thrown away on this move and how much that makes me feel like maybe I haven't accumulated as much as I thought, I thought about how the items I have gotten rid of has tended to be recycled or passed on to others who would enjoy those items much more than I have, I relished in the fact that I just checked my credit history for the first time and all is well, and I applauded the fact that while I've been living here my housemate has switched to healthier laundry detergent and bought an outdoor drying rack.

The last 36 hours have been spent visiting with friends and colleagues, watching interesting live stream Netflix movies and documentaries, and skimming through some of the magazines from the stack. It's been nice to feel reconnected again, to feel fulfilled, to have that freedom that tugs at the soul. It's been nice to feel that desire to blog again and to thrive for that connection to others that better align with my "authentic" values.

My sleep has been sporadic the last two nights, but I'm sure it's due to excitement at moving and this next chapter of life, while also a range of other emotions that I have swirling about in terms of actually leaving this place....leaving what has been home for so long now. However I'm hopeful all these changes will be positive and that the doors will continue to open widely for us.

Here's hoping each of you is having your own fulfilling day!

Ever So Slightly...

I'm feeling back into the movement. Several thoughts dawned on me today, such as, "Wow! These moving boxes I'm packing have been reused and reused and reused through how many different moves now?" which left me feeling like I've been doing more of "my part" than I've maybe realized.

Today was also a productive day. I finished almost all of my packing this morning and did three loads of wash. Then I spent the day accomplishing a lot of the last minute things I had on my list. I took care of my last duty for my boss, I printed out and mailed in another component for the new job I'm applying for, I picked up the written prescription I have so I can fill it after moving, I got my hair trimmed, I enjoyed a late spicy lunch and spent some final quality time with a gal pal of mine, and I stopped at a store and picked up some breakfast goods for my final days and a few items that aren't as readily available in the south.

As things are dying down, my mood is constantly improving. Just another demonstration that streamlining one's life can be helpful, and something I need to keep in mind for future reference. In going through my stack of accumulated magazines, I've discovered that the magazine I've been receiving as a gift, Body & Soul, is a real gem. It also has gotten me back to thinking on a more simple and healthy mindedness path.

In a search of Louisiana the other day, I did discover a fairly organic farm with u-pick produce not too far from where we will be located, so things are looking up on that level as well!

In the last few days I've been doing some thinking of everything that has happened this year. It's pretty amazing of all that has been accomplished and enjoyed, but it feels that so much of it has gone so fast! However I also realize that I have much to be thankful for and much to look forward to....and much I should give. I'm sure these final few days before hitting the road will be a blur and I'm thinking Friday may be more emotional than I have anticipated, but I'm hopeful to maintain this positive, simplistic, and healthy outlook throughout the rest of this transition period.

And luckily internet is already set-up down south in the house, so hopefully I'll get into the habit right away of posting more frequently! Best to everyone!

Newest News and the Usual Thoughts

Well it's a week away from move date more or less. My school stuff is done and I have turned in what I hope is my last paper ever. I have one more day of working for my boss and we have resubmitted the article for publishing. Half my room is packed and the rest will go quickly next week. I was able to sell back almost all of the books I had wanted to resell, but I still have the stack of magazines to go through. And mainly I've been spending a lot of time visiting with family and friends before moving.

I've been in the process of applying for and interviewing for a job or two. Hopefully one of them works out. Both are part-time which would hopefully enable my husband and I to actually get to spend more time together, especially since his schedule is somewhat unpredictable. We just received our housing this week, so he's been able to spend the last few days moving in and unpacking what we already have down there. We decided to buy a used washer and dryer off a couple that we hope will last for quite a while, and he currently has our car down there (we drove down together a week or two ago) as we are going to try to just use one car. We will have to buy some furniture however, as neither one of us has much, but we are hoping to get a mix of used and new. We purchased a new couch, but have been gifted already a futon and an entertainment center. And the rest we will just wait on.

I've had the usual guilt surfacing in buying new stuff (hot weather clothes, the couch, etc), in spending money on good bye dinners and visiting, and just general consumption purposes. And the last few days I've had that usual questioning of whether or not I am living to the values that I want to. It's going to be a different transition--moving to a completely different location and actually living with my spouse also. The last year of being busier and living with another person has influenced me to be a little less environmentally aware and actively engaged than I was living by myself. I've also been consuming more and with less insight than I was previously. These changes aren't some that I'm entirely comfortable with and this transition either offers opportunities to get back on track or to get even further off track. However this transition period is also occurring in a less environmentally friendly location and includes another individual....

I'm looking forward to setting up house and hopeful that we still might be able to plant something on our patio. There are rumored to be a blueberry and a pumpkin farm nearby, so I'm also hopeful that we can tap into some local goods. We finally found a decent grocery store, although it's an hour drive away. We discovered that there is curbside recycling on post, although they don't recycle glass apparently. (Every time I've had to throw a glass container out, it just kills me.) But I'm hopeful there are a lot of other little ways that we can bring some of our Oregon "green-ness" into this new location. Whether that's based on continuing to buy safer personal care products, practicing greener cleaning via safer products and/or baking soda/vinegar, attempting to container garden, trying to buy in bulk to reduce waste, finding where used stores are, cutting back on impulse purchases, cooking and hosting more at home, etc; there are a lot of steps we can take to make the right impact.

Off I am to my final weekend on the coast of Oregon for a while. May each of you have an enjoyable weekend!