Buy local, organic and pesticide free products when you can. Know where and how something was made, crafted, nursed and harvested. Organic isn't cheap so I try to buy 1:1 ratio of organic : non-organic products. Until Hubby, Kiddo and I are on our own privately owned land and can naturally sustain ourselves (I'll mention this dream sometime since it is a deep yearning of mine) and don't need a grocery store, that is my one small step for a better lifestyle for us.
I hate plastic. I really do. I will purposely NOT buy plastic because I think it's a curse to the living, landfills and just a time bomb of chemicals waiting to make us sick.
On the other hand...
I love glass. I really do. I will purposely BUY products that are stored in glass because I find that glass is A) safe (hopefully) B) durable and C) can be used over and over for many different applications. Not to mention glass can have some really beautiful designs on them (and I'm talking bottles, jam and mason jars).
I want to learn all about the world. I am eager and willing to be open to new and different things. I am not, on the other hand, eager to learn about high end technology. Personally I find that it is another way to separate the masses from those who know how to talk the made up language of computers and those who don't. It is after all, a series of zeros and ones that have been created by a small amount of human beings to represent what a real language is to be. Because of this, somehow the world now takes on the stance that in order to be successful you must LEARN this make believe language. And I think this is just plain wrong. We've been replacing the human factor in practically everything we do, and for that matter banking everything on a computers as if our lives depended on it. How many of us would go mental if computers suddenly turned into nothing but a useless piece of metal and minerals? (There is one exception to this rule: the medical/science field. To be able to look into the human body, into outer space etc. is not a small feat.)
Which comes to the human factor. I prize, above all, people. I really wasn't like this before, honestly I was very much a recluse (even when married) and didn't want to socialize much. How views can change. I've come to value the simple things like laughter, love (there are many different kinds), companionship on all levels, and the perhaps a greater sense of being connected to each other.
Religions: I was born and raised Catholic, but to date I've found spiritual callings like the phases of the moon: Judaism throughout my 20's, Native American meditations and awakenings in high school (and presently in the phase again), Buddist tendencies, a very uneducated appreciation for Muslim prayer (I do find that stopping midday for prayers is both beautiful and inspiring. I bounce back and forth with the rest of what is the essence of the religion, to messy to have clear cut opinion on it so I leave it nestled in a "gray" area of learning), edging now and again toward Wicca, and back to the foundations of Catholicism. I tend to pick and chose what calls to me rather than go full blown into a religion. Religion is like the seasons to me, but I appreciate practically all of them.
My reflections of "church" is another matter: I never cared for it. I've never bought into the "Catholic guilt" that seemed to go with the perversions of what
And there's a whole inter-connection with God, the land, the spirit and how I believe a good and just life is led. I don't have a manual, but my gut feelings are laced with rational thoughts and a good heart. I tend to shy away from people who are destructive in their own lives, especially those who drip of venom and negativity. I embrace those who share the blush of life and welcome it.
I constantly need to recheck and remind myself to be open to new things. That's when the unexpectedness of life can wow you.
Less Warcraft, more life. Less gaming more books. Less virtual and more real. Repeating often, "Virtual sucks, life is better."
Look for the positive, do what you can to make life better for yourself and the people around you. Forgive, admit when you are wrong, learn, move on. Praise often. Stand up for the just and right thing to do even if no one is doing it. And as I see myself through my child's eyes, it makes me want to be a better person as well.
Peace.
