My quest to ‘go green’ with my family’s food products and household items we buy has been going very well. Fortunately, it has been much easier than expected. I have met many people who have the same ideals in mind and who speak of the benefits they have experienced since they decided to clear out their homes and replace the products they use with non toxic, green, and organic items. Personally, in a short amount of time my family has experienced several benefits. Primarily, in my quest to ‘go green’ I have found that I live more consciously in every moment of every day.
How so? I am constantly thinking about where our family’s food comes from and how the vegetables, eggs, chicken, or any other item that is stored in our refrigerator or pantry comes to our home. I am looking for how they are handled and processed from land to home. I want to know the story behind their journey. If I agree with how they are handled than I will allow them into my home and I will consciously use my money to support their process. There is great power in living a conscious life and choosing how we will use our money.
Originally, food had a purpose of sustaining life. Food was intended to give us energy to live. It was viewed as a living organism that was treated with respect and honor for the purpose that it shared in existence with us. Whether it be a plant or animal, everything had a reason for living. Plants were not only used for eating but their healing properties were used as very effective medicines for treating and curing diseases. Animals were not only food, but they were a part of the circle of life. They were viewed as just as important as feeding and giving back to Mother Earth as any other breathing and living thing. Somewhere in our human quest to become a modern world and all the gifts of science and engineering we lost this grounded view of life. We got caught up in the miracles of science and our ability to use chemicals and compounds to take the place of what nature had intended. Our ears became deaf, our hearts closed, and our intuition was lost. But, I believe we are returning to the days of living one with our environment and living from our hearts. We are returning to the idea that food is life giving substance, energy, and a vibration that sustains life. Unfortunately, many of us grew up in unconscious homes never being taught the true intention behind food. We lived in a world of fast food convenience, preservatives that kept food contained in cans for years, and the idea that buying bulk was easier. We lost our connection and we never gave food a second thought other than the ability to store it for long time periods so that we could stay away from the grocery store for as long as possible. We needed to make time for more important things, and so we thought. What we forgot is that food not only provides us with precious life energy but a reason for coming together and enjoying each other. Food is social and shared in the company of those we care about. Even Jesus broke bread and drank wine with his closest companions on one of his most historical evenings on this planet. Food is one of the main ingredients in our circle of life. We depend on it as much as it depends on us. So, going ‘green’ has enlightened my ideas about life and has heightened my desire to spread the idea of what it means to live life as a Mom of Light or a Being of Light.
Here is a run down of some of my experiences the past couple of weeks… On one of my trips to the store my only intention was to restock my refrigerator with some natural lunch meats for my kids sandwiches for school. Natural meats are made from animals that have been raised without hormones, grain fed, and made without preservatives. When I went to the counter to order I was informed that they were all out of every type of natural meat I had requested. “Ugh…how could this be?”, I thought in my head. They had cases stocked with the ‘other’ meats but none of the kinds that I needed. Then I consciously thought about this dilemma. There were two ways to consider this situation. One, I was given the opportunity to understand that I may not always be able to get what I intend to find at the stores with my new ‘go green’ philosophy. This does not mean that I will settle for anything less, it just may mean that I have to be creative and always have a back-up plan. There were plenty of other options like natural peanut butter and organic jelly sandwiches or organic cheese and crackers, etc., etc. I was just going to have to accept that this may happen from time to time and that being creative kept my mind busy and healthy. That was just fine with me. The other concept to consider was the reasons why they ran out of the ‘natural’ meats. Natural meat has no preservatives so stores cannot stock up on these items. This particular store did not specialize in organic and natural foods so it was no surprise that they might not have exactly what I was looking for. Lastly, this may have been a lesson in always trusting and believing that we will always be provided with and get exactly what we need in every moment and situation.
My next lesson had to do with waste. Since ‘going green’, much of what I have been buying has been fresh, unprocessed, and/or unpackaged. Our garbage can has been less full. For two weeks in a row we have filled up one bag of garbage per week and the rest of our waste has been recycled items. In fact, our recycling has doubled and our waste has been cut in half. Wow, that is pretty cool! Especially for a family of five! That makes me feel good about what I am doing for my family and Mother Earth. Not to mention, our newest addition to our family’s new lifestyle has been a composter. As a Christmas gift, my supportive husband, bought me a composter. Yep, I’m one of those women who would rather have a composter than a diamond bracelet. Not that I wouldn’t want diamonds…only if I knew that the people who mined those diamonds were treated fairly and just. The composter has changed our lives. Every scrap of leftover food goes into the composter every day and by the end of the week we have rich soil ready to be used for our garden in the spring time. When you compost you get a firsthand look at how, “You are what you eat”. Everything we use goes right back into the Earth and will supply the needed nutrients to grow the food you will eat in the future. The circle continues to go round and round and we have a very fortunate firsthand look at the entire process. Honestly, who wants veggies treated with pesticides and animal products treated with hormones back in your soil? Going green and using a composter gives us back that control.
Next, my ‘go green’ challenge has made me closely read labels and educate myself on other items in my home. I was cleaning the three bathrooms in my house one day and took a look at the ingredients on my cleaning materials. Hmmm….I found out that I don’t understand half of what is mentioned on those containers. Further review and research has shown me that I am not just ‘cleaning’ my home I am filling our sinks, toilets, tubs, and floors, with toxins that can make us sick! So…..I am going out with the old and in with the new. No more, ‘Mr. Clean.’ He doesn’t seem so strong and appealing anymore. I am in the process of filling my shelves with non toxic items. The jury is still out on this one, as I test and consider alternative products. As I fill my shelves and experiment I will keep you updated on what I find. Also to consider from this process is the possibility that I may have developed a skin rash from cleaning my own home with the toxic products. This is what thrust me forward into considering other means. In the past 3-4 weeks I have developed a serious skin rash every time I have used my current cleaning products. So severe was the rash that I had to orally consume steroids to calm the rash down. On its return, I sought the advice of my functional medicine doctor who prescribed calendula oil and tea tree oil. After a few rubs of these herbal plant remedies my rash has been contained and almost completely eliminated. Wow, this stuff worked incredibly faster and more efficiently than any other over the counter anti-itch remedy out there, and believe me, I tried them all! Again, I am switching my cleaning products over due to my experiences. I am also incredibly grateful for the gifts of Mother Nature and all the incredible effective natural remedies she has to offer. I only have to be ready and willing to learn and the answers come.
Lastly, I have found that ‘go green’ has had an overall compassionate and loving effect on my family. My children are learning just as I am learning about living with our environment and being conscious day in and day out. They see us putting our food back into the Earth, limiting our waste, and only buying what we need as we need it. Shopping and cooking has become an enjoyable process that we all do together and learn about as we go along. I love that my children watch me shop for and pick out the very best products that represent how we want to live our lives. I love that they ask me questions and that they want to learn. Overall, our home seems calmer and more in tune with life. We commune together on a more regular basis and my children respect the food that comes to the table. It has been a win/win situation that has been fairly easy to adjust. The key has been to keep an open mind and an open heart and to view every experience in a positive light. When we put our intentions out there, the universe responds. The universe has definitely responded to my request. I may not always agree with what I am being provided but when I consider the lesson in a conscious light it always makes sense in hindsight. I continue to integrate the new lifestyle into our life and have no doubt that I will have more experiences to share.
Now, it is time for me to start considering my new ‘thing’ to give up or change in my current life. I have already decided. In light of the occurrence in Haiti and my continual desire to help others I will be exploring ways to contribute to my community and environment on a more active level. I will find ways to share my expertise with others on a personal and professional level. I plan to either join a club or find ways to give back to life. I have already found myself giving my services to others lately but now I am ready for more. The past couple of weeks I have been servicing myself to others that need help with physical and emotional healing. I pulled out my massage table again and have been devoting my spare time to helping others heal and embrace their lives. People have been showing up in need of healing and I have just been providing. It is time for this side of my business to flourish on a more active and financial level and for me to in turn service myself to my community. The two sides are complementing each other and developing very easily right now, so I am taking this opportunity and asking for more to come. I will be developing my business and in turn giving back to my community. The opportunities are endless. Stay tuned for more.
I thank you for spending your time reading this blog and I hope that you are inspired to live your life to your fullest on some level. It is my hope that this year brings inspirational living for all!
Side Note: In my last blog my husband and I were struggling about which coffee would meet my high standards and his high palate. Well, we found a brand that met all of our expectations and we enjoy our morning brew daily.
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