Making the world a more loving place

I went in the other day for a blood draw (everything on the cancer front is still thumbs up) and I got to see my favorite phlebotomist. She told me she is retiring in a few weeks and that her and her husband are moving to a lake house they just purchased. I told her congratulations and that will be great to live on a lake since she is a kayaker. She was surprised that I remembered such a detail about her life. It made her happy that I cared enough to remember. That got me thinking....how often do we treat people like people and not objects? How often do we stop thinking about ourselves long enough to think of people as fellow humans?

The people ahead of us in line at the grocery store, or the car in front of us that is going insanely slow and has had their turn signal on the past 3 miles we see as obstacles to us getting somewhere. That last one is the hardest for me. We see them as people we would rather not interact with. Try to smile at people, talk to people that you wouldn't normally interact with. Help people you don't know. Practice patience. (of course do this with people you do know also). There is no point being rude to the telemarketer that interrupted your dinner. You can be pleasant and tell still tell them no. They are just doing their job. Be happy that it not your job!

If you want the world to be a friendlier place, start being friendlier. A smile may change someones day. If you see a person often, like the cashier at the store, chat, share, smile, and remember them. Nothing makes someone feel more important then you remembering a small detail about them. Don't ignore people, even if they make you uncomfortable.

I am going to work on my road rage. Not really rage though, more of a constant annoyed state while I am driving. The person who cuts me off, or driving 20 in a 40, or or or..... I am not changing reality by being annoyed. I am just causing myself stress. Instead of being irritated and dropping the f-bomb,(constantly) I am going to make a real effort to give them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they are in an unfamiliar area of the city. Perhaps they just had a fight with their spouse, or rushing to see a family member in the hospital. Etc. Also, I am going to smile more. It helps me and the rest of the world.

make the world better by food food glorious food

It is Costco shopping time of the month.

I like to know what I need and it helps me to not over buy when I clean out my fridge, freezer and take stock of what is in my pantry before hand. I usually try to take a quick glance at my food stores every week before I go grocery shopping, but as I discovered I have not been faithful about this. I am disappointed in myself. I loathe throwing food out. I understand not only the monetary value of the food, but also the resources that have gone into getting it to my house. As I cleaned out the expired salad dressings and slimey peppers from the back of the fridge and was scrubbing the drawers and shelves I told myself that I will not let this happen again. It had been a long time since I had to throw food out and I got lazy with checking.

My fridge is now clean and organized, as well as my freezer. I have the frozen food stacked by expiration date as I will use the ones that will expire sooner first. (thankfuly nothing in my freezer needed to be chucked)My shopping trip to Costco was successful. They had my favorite bars there again (Mrs. Maya's Trio Bars)

Goal: Make the world a better place by not overbuying and underusing the food that I have purchased. How? By being attentive and organized and appreciative.

Be the change....

Wanting to change the world.
All of us want to change the world is some way or another. The frustrating thing is how do we live our lives in harmony with our convictions?
Over the next few weeks, months, years and for the rest of my life I am going to strive to make a difference. Even if that difference is one person. One person matters.

I will use my blog to share my experiences (challenges, triumphs, and frustrations) with you and to keep myself honest about what I am doing and why.

I have already made many personal lifestyle choices over the past year. One is I became a vegetarian last summer. *insert gasps here* I have had a great dislike about eating something that was once a living being for as long as I can remember. Some life that was slaughtered for my consumption and sometimes went bad in the back of the fridge and I had to throw out. My parents became vegetarian a few years back for health reasons for my father. (My father is on no medication now, has more energy and lost 20 needed pounds, so don’t argue the against the health benefits of this life style to me- read “the China Study”). My cousin Nickey became vegan last year. It was my cousin who inspired me to try to be a vegetarian and my little sister, who was my cheer leader (sister eats meat, but big fan of mine). I gave myself a 3 week challenge do to at my sisters encouragement. Did great! After reading the book “Eating Animals” and the torture and abuse our food, these living creatures endure while living, not to mention while dying, made me decide that this was my life style choice, for life. To bring my life in harmony with my convictions.

Cons to Vegetarian Lifestyle :
Haters.
There are those that have poked fun at me and made points over and over that THEY EAT MEAT that IT IS HEALTHY. At every family gathering a certain unname person, has made a point to say to another family member, “you like meat too? Oh me too? I love meat.” Or to my Dh “YOU are still eating meat, right?” (this is not to find out what to bring either, this is to make a point to me when he has turkey on his plate)or "not eating meat is unhealthy" (I really don't want to get into a food discussion at a family dinner and be the downer on their choices. Why does this family member want to do that? (any advice on how to deal with this is welcomed) I have had friends give me grief about it also. My FB post saying “I cut my finger while making my vegetarian chili and that it isn’t vegetarian anymore because it may have a bit of me in it”, ( yes I can laugh at myself) will get responses from “LOL” to “ I think meat is great. Why don’t you eat meat, it is good for you. God wants us to eat meat.” OR fb status “going to Seattles Vegfest” response “YUK”. I mean really? Besides being a bit rude, what do you have against fruits and veggies. Don’t’ worry though people, momma didn’t raise a quiet girl that shuts up and takes it.

Pros to Vegetarian Lifestyle:
Not killing animals.
Finding out who is really supportive in your life choices. My dh after a bit of an adjustment is very supportive as is my friend Julie, even my coworkers at my place of employment. These are the people in my life who don't have the same views as me. My sister, Natalie, is always giving me new vegan recipes to try. Of course those in my life that are already vegan/vegetarian are happy I have chose this path. Those that seem to be against my life style (that does not harm to others), I have to realize that it probably makes them uncomfortable and perhaps a bit guilty. I realize that I cannot be consumed with their issues and I just fall back on the old “haters are gonna hate.” I do not look down on those that consume animal flesh, it is their personal choice. I do believe that if more people allowed themselves to be educated about the treatment of animals there would be more vegetarians in the world or at least more people cutting down on meat consumed. (but I do tend to think the best of people) Also, the cutting out of unhealthy meat is a BIG plus.

Yes I still salivate when I smell bacon. That hasn’t changed. I still eat dairy, eggs, and other animal products- I’m a work in progress. It is a daily choice. It has to be. It is too big of step not to be chosen each morning. I don’t strive for perfection; I am striving for a better world. Perfection is not an option.

Other change that I have made is in my cleaning products. I have switched most of my products to earth friendly ones, can I just say I LOVE 7th Generation and baking soda is amazing. Even shampoos, body washes, etc. I have been switching out for enviro friendly ones. I still have yet to find a makeup though. Like I said, perfection is impossible to attain and I do the best I can each day. That being said, any recommendations on a makeup would be much appreciated. I still want to look pretty while living my values.

I will be looking for other ways to make a difference, even if it is a small one. The biggest impact I could make is small lifelong changes that I stick to. If I inspire others= even better for the world.

Up next: Community. Volunteering for my son’s schools PTA. They say they need people, I am there.