Consuming Less

I generally live my life with the goal of stepping lightly on my mother Earth. I [along with my family] am constantly working towards an ever more sustainable, independent, and conscious lifestyle. But let's face it, nobody's perfect, and I never claimed to be. [Actually, I totally disagree with the statement I just wrote. I think we are all perfect, it's just that we have a misconception about what perfection is]. There are always areas where my footprint could be lighter still.

I've been thinking a lot about how my family and I can become ever more self-sufficient [and therefore consume less] as I read Barbara Kingsolver's excellent book, Small Wonder. She wrote this collection of essays after the attacks on Sept. 11, and they deal with the myriad of problems that our country [and world] faces: the anger and hate towards our selfish and consuming American ways, the destruction of our environment, the loss of wild places, the decrease of biodiversity, and other such lighthearted topics. Despite the seriousness of her issues, Kingsolver's beautiful prose imparts such words of wisdom and inspiration that one can't help but feel hopeful, in spite of it all.

In one essay that I found particularly moving ["Saying Grace"], Kingsolver uses the analogy of a family to describe the United States' image as perceived by the rest of the world. We are, of course, the Fat Brother [and not the fat and generous brother, but the fat and selfish one]. She states, "We must surely appear to the world as exactly what we are: a nation that organizes its economy around consuming twice as much oil as it produces, and around the profligate wastefulness of the wars and campaigns required to defend such consumption."

It was this essay that has really prompted my current thoughts on how I can continue to reduce my own consumption. And not only that, but how can I help create the reality I want to live in? How can I, one person in this large world, make my own contribution to the healing the earth so desperately calls for? How can I help be a catalyst of change?

One way I try to contribute is by writing this post. In these times it is crucial for us to inspire each other, to hold hands as we dance down the path of change [together]. How can I reduce my own consumption? How can you reduce yours? How can we help instigate the paradigm change in which we move from an economy of consumption to one of sustainability?

I believe the place to start is by recognizing the healer within ourselves and creating, in our immediate surroundings, the world we wish to live in. [I wish to live in a world where decisions are based on love rather than fear. I wish to live in a world where we recognize the spirit of the Creator in all things. I wish to live in a world where we respect ourselves, each other, our earth, and all of her children.] We all have the capacity to heal, and this is how we will change our reality into the one we desire [one flap of a butterfly's wing at a time]. Now is the time to uncap our potions and wave our magic wands and release our healing energy out into the world.

If we all focused our energy on healing whatever it is in our lives that needs to be healed, what kind of world would we live in? A world of love is where we would live, for healing brings wholeness, and wholeness brings connection, and connection is love [and love is Spirit].

But I am getting carried away with myself here. I meant to write about lessening my consumption, and here I go spouting love poetry. But poetry is beautiful, and I am filled with love.

So go out into the world, brave healers, and let's get to it. There is work to be done.

*Many blessings and much Gratitude*