Of Lending and Borrowing

I have mentioned several times how much better of an idea it is to borrow a seldom-needed item than it is to purchase a new item for yourself. This weekend I am particularly proud of this concept due to who I am "borrowing" from in this go-around.

Next weekend I am scheduled to go on a float trip with one of my "man vs wild" friends. Since we will be floating down the river, it dawned on me that I would need shoes that I could get wet but that would still function for traction when needed. Since I am trying not to buy un-necessary items, it seemed absolutely silly to me to spend money on a pair of river crafty footwear when at the very least I have an old pair of running shoes that could be called upon in a pinch. However as I was in the valley with my family this weekend, it dawned on me to ask one of my siblings if they had river shoes I could borrow. Sure enough, there was a pair that my eldest nephew had outgrown and that will fit my feet perfectly!

I also had multiple black out moments with my cell phone this weekend and upon taking it to my provider in the valley, discovered that my phone may potentially be nearing its death bed. Since I am two months away from being able to use discounts for a new phone, I would have to purchase a new phone at full price (the cheapest of which was $170). As I am staunchly opposed to the idea that my current phone has only lasted me for a year and a half (and shouldn't we be making things to last LONGER?!) I balked at the idea of buying a "cheap" phone to fill the gap until the two months are up and I could utilize the discounts to buy a phone I would actually desire. Thus I was SO surprised and pleased when my eldest nephew offered me up either one of his two tracfones in an attempt to switch out my sim cards and use one of his phones in the interim. Here is my nephew in the midst of his teen years of self-indulgence gratefully offering me an object that he holds most dear. What an absolute proud moment indeed!

Now the sim card switching technology didn't work, but thus far whatever the sales lady did when she fiddled with my current phone has led to no more black outs so maybe it will be able to hold out for a while now. I am just so pleased that the idea of borrowing is actually endorsed and working AND that it has been most pleasantly endorsed by my nephew. There's hope for this next generation-woo hoo!

The Body Element

A couple of weeks ago I tried to calculate my carbon footprint. Now my amounts were mainly estimates but I still thought I would do fairly well with many of the reductions I have made. So it was a bit discouraging when I realized just how much of a negative environmental impact I still create. Many individuals have posted about walking and riding their bikes, so a week ago I was able to fix my bike. And let me tell you-I am SO out of bike riding shape! I can't believe how difficult it is to do an activity that was so standard as a child. Granted I live in a very hilly community but it was still sad awakening in regards to my health. Yet I realize that over time my bike riding will improve and my health (physically and mentally) has already improved.

Yesterday I went for a quick run after work and then decided to walk to complete my afternoon errands. I am so encouraged however by the positive support from my coworkers. Every time I have shown up walking or on my bike (or talked about recycling or a million other frugal and/or green topics) my new coworkers have been incredibly supportive! What a change from my normal work environments! However by walking to complete all of my errands I walked approximately four miles. I did develop a blister on the bottom of one foot, but I also burned calories, cleared my mind from work stress, had time to process additional information, reduced my environmental impact, and engaged my senses. I took time to look at the fluffy clouds, to stop and pet the dragonfly on the ground, to smell the salt breeze, to feel the wind full blast upon my body. I felt the tension ease out of my body as each muscle engaged, stretched, and contracted. I felt the sweat come to my temples as I neared the tops of the tall hills and the breath of my body deepen. I felt my body and my mind connect to the natural elements of its being and of its surrounding. I felt truly alive.

Often times when I'm driving around in my own little enclosed space, thinking only about myself and my day, I forget just how connected I am to the rest of the world. It's when I travel by my own doing, whether by foot, by pedal, or by swim stroke, that I realize how dependent upon my body I am and how dependent that body is upon the world. And every time I walk, hike, bike, or swim, I think to myself, "Why don't I do this more often?"

The Beauty of "Used"

Unfortunately at times "used" has the tendency to equate with "bad" in the minds of some individuals. However I like to think of most used items as "look how much life is left in it for me!" Each item also tends to have its own story. I have had countless used items in my lifetime that have actually given me more joy than many of the newly bought items that I have purchased.

Many of my current used possessions are some that will always have the most meaning for me. My love seat, while I hope to recover it, has large amounts of meaning for me. It's clean lines and larger shape evoke a modernism that was ahead of its time. It also came from my grandparents house and thus will always represent to me large family gatherings and the strength and durability of my grandparents love and lives. Yet while symbolic to me, the love seat desires to be functionally used. (All items should be meaningful AND functional-I'm not one for lots of things just sitting around!)

I also have a gorgeous necklace that came from my great-grandmother, passed down to me by my mother on my 21st birthday. It's antique style has also had a rebirth in today's fashion accesory industry. The necklace had an accident at some point in its history and so one part is attached by very heavy string that has held out through the generations. While I treat it delicately and tend to wear it for special occassions, it still remains functional and beautiful all at once. And in it's non-perfect state it holds even more meaning especially thru the contrast of its strength and delicacy.

However the older I get the more glad I am for the "hand-me-downs" that I receive. As the youngest in my family with three older siblings, I have been privy at times to some wonderful items that my older siblings had replaced or maybe just felt like sharing. When I had my first apartment, my sister gave me some of her bakeware and other storable items. When my oldest brother passed one of his cameras onto our other brother, I then received the basic digital camera that had belonged to my second oldest brother and that continues to be my camera today. From that same brother, I have been the recepient of a past cell phone and of a wonderful bike! My first car had also been past down through my sister, to my mother, and on to me. While many of these used items are not always in perfect condition, they are still completely functional and have many years left of use. Thus being the youngest at times has its benefits!

Generally though it just makes me happy to see all of these used items continue to have life and to be of service until no more life is present in them. I like to imagine that some day we will be able to break down the individual pieces of items such as a love seat or an old camera, in order to use the parts to create our new items. However even if that point never arrives, I will continue to gladly accept the items that still have use for me and to donate or give to others items that I no longer use but will still be beneficial for another. May the hand-me-downs continue, the landfills be saved, and for all of us to appreciate the history and symbolism that our used items present for us!

The Little Things

Every day I am reminded of how the smallest things effect others and the planet. I know I mentioned before my attempt to practice random acts of kindness and how they positively impacted those who I interacted with. Yet I see these same elements come into play every day. I am often most touched by the smallest things.

The picture to the left is part of our backyard. Lately we have had two doves that have begun to feed off of our bird feeders, which doves are not common here. Watching the birds as we eat breakfast or dinner is so soothing and in the moments in which the neighborhood cats prowl and stalk under the feeders, it can be quite exciting.

Sometimes I am touched just upon exiting the house in the morning and smelling the dampness of the Earth or seeing the beauty of the sky. In these moments I remember to feel grateful that I am alive. Sometimes it is the feel of a picked leaf in my hand or in the smile of a child. Once it was in the brightest purest gaze and returned smile of one of the "poorest" men I have ever seen. Another time it was through conversation with a blind gentleman who sometimes walks down our street. All of these events occurred through unadulterated forms and through individuals and characteristics in their "natural" form.

Funny then how often when I am touched by the majority of other people it is in an "unnatural" form. It is through someone going above and beyond their normal interaction with others. It is through watching cars stop for someone to cross the road, when someone allows another with less items to go ahead of them in line, or through the opening of a door. It is when someone who is in pain still has the ability to smile in gratitude or when a person returns a lost pet to his or her owner. Or ARE these experiences actually our natural state when we are left unencumbered by having to be and do too much? If we all slowed down would the little things be what we noticed AND what we did?

I like to believe that we are all naturally capable and wired to both participate in AND appreciate the little daily gifts of life, whether through our surroundings or with those whom we come into contact.

The little things are most worth while,
A quiet word, a look, a smile,
A listening ear that's quick to share
Another's thoughts, another's cares,
Though sometimes they may seem quite small,
The little things mean most of all.
-Anonymous

Questions, Simplicity, and Trust

Simplicity is something that we talk a lot about in the form of tangibles, such as, "I'm living simply so am trying to not buy much." However the art of simplicity comes in many forms and can be applied to all areas of life, including some of the BIG QUESTIONS.

Today I had to go to a wedding. I always get apprehensive at the idea of weddings whether for friend or family, because I know I am going to get asked "the difficult questions." I have ready answers, however it is hard to transmit my answers without launching into a long explanation and seeming wishy washy. (This same concept applies to essay questions for scholarship, professional, and/or educational applications.)

So here are some of the BIG QUESTIONS, which even I am guilty of asking:
Where do you see yourself in the future?
What's your plan?
When are you going to get married?

The following is why I feel it is difficult to answer these questions. I trust that my life will unfold the way that it is meant to and therefore while I do have ideas of how I would like it to be, I know that it will ultimately turn out much differently than I intended. I am no where near where I thought I would be 10 years ago, however as I look back on the last 10 years I have no doubts whatsoever that every single experience was put there for a reason. I have always felt that my life has been guided, however it has been within the last year or so that I have really come to welcome and trust in that guidance. And it is that same trust and faith that allow me to feel even more simplified. I have a "worrying" demeanor, yet when I embrace that trust I am able to focus my energies on the moments at hand AND to feel so much more at peace. When it is not I who has to worry about the big pieces, how much more free I am to relish the everyday moments that I have been given.

One of my best friends used to have a quote on her fridge that said, "Make plans, but make them in pencil." How true that is. MY plans aren't always the best laid ones and therefore I have been redirected numerous times in my life. Sometimes these redirections have been simple, such as in the form of an out of the blue job offer, or traumatic, such as the illness or death of a family member. Yet in every event there has been a message to be gleaned from it and a change in focus and direction to be served from it. Not all of the past experiences I have had are ones that I would choose again (nor were they all my first choice at the time), however each one has had its place in preparing me for who I need to be today and in the future.

To some it may seem that I lack direction through my explanation, however my direction is in the forward movement of gleaning from life what I may as I endeavor to be a more faithful servant. While I admire the individuals that can tell you that they want x, y, and z from life in the form of a "life timeline," a career, and/or a spouse, I am not someone who can provide those answers. I can give general ideas of things I would like to do or "have," yet I don't feel that I have to do or have those things for life to feel complete. (Something that at this point people tend to try to placate me with by saying, "Of course you'll have those things" and then I realize they aren't really getting the point.)

Obviously I have areas of which I am passionate and those are the areas that I continue to move forward in. I feel that life is headed in the right direction and I trust that God will continue to guide my way, leading me on ahead. This simple knowledge has taken a load off my shoulders, however I don't believe that I am to just wait passively by until all the right doors are opened. While doors do open, there is no doubt in that, I still have to move forward in my trust and faith in order to realize and engage in the opportunities. Yet what freedom and simplicity is gained in embracing the trust that one can have and in the giving over of fears!

So for me, simplicity has been incorporated into many of those areas in which I am truly passionate: environmental impact, health, social justice, AND spirituality. As it is generally through spirituality and simplicity that I am able to (sort of) answer some of those nagging big questions. Makes me think twice about asking others these same questions! :-)

Bloggers for Positive Global Change

Today I was tagged for a Bloggers for Positive Global Change Award! How exciting! I hope ALL of us are trying to create positive change on the globe, as all the small changes add up into bigger changes! Thanks go to Ali at Our Patch for my nomination!! I am to now nominate five other bloggers who I think deserve the award for the inspiration and work that they are doing!

My five nominees are:

Living Plastic Free in 2007
Simple Living: Simplify and Reduce
Sara at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly and The Live Lightly Tour
No Impact Man
and Morning Ramble


The award was started at Climate Of Our Future to highlight blogger's efforts around the world to share their knowledge and thoughts in making our world better, healthier and more sustainable.

Fellow Positive Global Change Award recipients, it’s easy to participate in this meme. At minimum, you can proudly display the BPGC badge (Click here for the image url) on your blog and bask in the glow of our collective good will. If you are sharing the kudos, however, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.The participation rules are simple:
1. When you get tagged, write a post with links to up to 5 blogs that you think are trying to change the world in a positive way.
2. In your post, make sure you link back to so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Leave a comment or message for the bloggers you’re tagging, so they know they’re now part of the meme.
4. Optional: Proudly display the “Bloggers For Positive Global Change” award badge with a link to the post that you write up.