Jody Benson

Well.  Here we are.  Thanks for the consciousness.

What I learned that while I was smug in my enviro footprint I am a huge energy glutton because of my diet that is not local, not organic, not vegan, and only 3/4 vegetarian.  Wow.  Food.  We should've all been plants instead of animals. Most plants don't eat other life in order to live themselves.  Really bad evolutionary plan there.  So thank this effort for a bit of added consciousness.

There's something really heart-punching  in getting rid of stuff--the stuff is so imbued with so many memories, and for that, has a real psychic connection. You pick an old towel, and remember a summer at the pool or washing the neighbor's cocker spaniel that you took to the stream when you weren't supposed to.  You find a backpack with the strap torn off and remember the ride on the top of the bus in Nepal, or maybe you there's a ticket stub in another language and in touching it you suddenly remember the bus or museum or play or metro ride or whatever it represents, and all of a sudden smell the sewage or feel the sun  or the press of people or the shake of water off a dog long dead.  Dang it is HARD!  I wouldn't have even thought of those things had I not looked in the box.  I think that's the hope when we keep things.  That they'll recreate what it was that meant whatever it did at the moment of the experience.  Maybe I'll wait for someone who has no connections to that stuff to clear out when I'm dead.  

Oh, and clearing out my house?  Next week.  

For me to be vegan takes a lot of mindfulness.  Like today. And yesterday.  The menu is simple--it's the unthinking putting of butter on toast (not to mention my usual whine of unthinkingly putting cream in coffee).  Oh well. Just mindfulness.

Today the Los Alamos firefighters were at the red carpet opener of the movie, Only the Brave. The firefighters had an exhibit of their "brush" fire engine, their equipment: hand tools, pumps, hoses, chain saw, and the fire shelters (called shake-and-bakes), and spent a couple hours talking about their work and the fire science required to get "red carded," and to become hot shots. These (all men today) love what they do. Nobody needs to live a life in service. But people do. It's such a blessing--I'm so grateful. In the endless progression of disasters, more and more and more and more disasters, that there are still people who spend time--even to the point of risking their lives--for others.

Well, there went my vegan day. I forgot when I went with a friend to his daily Starbucks and had a latte (using the "for here" cup and NOT the to-go cup).  So then I just gave up and also had a cheese sandwich. 

On my paper reduction:  I started this project in August, and requested paperless on bank and weekly investment letters, and I think the paper is reduced as much as possible even though I STILL get some statements on paper.

Okay, I got the almond milk for my next vegan day challenge.  Whew. Thanks for the recommendation. 

I'm decluttering but really ineffectually.  I'm just moving stuff from one place to the other in preparation for a garage sale. I should just donate it and get rid of it, maybe drop clothes at a homeless camp since winter is coming on, but I don't even know where the camps are now that the police moved the people out of the Railyard....