Living Simply
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. As I have mentioned in the past, this time of the year gives me an opportunity not only to reflect on my progress towards my new year's resolutions but also offers the chance to do something new.
I have the motivation of doing something for Christ. Jesus spent 40 days in the desert. Jesus died on the cross for my sins.
Luckily, whether or not you share my same faith, you might consider these next forty days to revamp your own life.
I've started out by watching The End of Suburbia. After spending a weekend in eco-friendly Eugene (honestly, that is the most self-sufficient place I've ever encountered) with a vegetarian and a might-as-well-be vegetarian (though his reading of Michael Pollan's book has him wanting to go out and hunt his own meat), I'm thinking more seriously about the changes I can make in my own life.
I surprised the cashier at Trader Joe's by having my own bag for the dinner I picked up for WG and me before our photography class (did I mention the photography class? I will later, I promise).
I surprised myself by thinking up a little goal for myself: buy less. drive less.
What would Jesus do?
Well, Jesus was among the first of those who truly live simply. I believe that if He could do this, I can certainly see what it takes to scale back my clothing purchases, seriously consider if I really do need that Wii game before I buy it.
And contrary to the appeal of many magazine articles that urge me to go green, I will not throw out my current products. I will, though, consider more "green" cleaning products when I run out of the ones I have (how green is it to toss out nearly full containers in order to purchase something else?). I won't buy cute grocery bags...and oh, that's as tempting as buying new workout gear whenever I recommit to a fitness regime. I have bags. Though the 99 cent bags at TJ's are cute with their Hawaiian prints, I don't need them.
So, in light of the Christian inspiration surrounding the next forty days in my life, I will not simply jump on board the "green," boat, but I will work to simply decrease my carbon footprint.
In forty days, I hope to have adapted to the goals of a simpler life and be able to resist the call of the mall.
What change can you make?
No comments:
Post a Comment