Three Things I’ve Done Lately to Simplify My Life

I’ve been thinking about my big goals for 2012 lately.  One of those goals is thoughtful consumerism.  Back in January, my vision for this goal was to find some green sponsors for this site, but the truth is that I just don’t have the time to solicit companies right now.  I love the idea of finding these companies, but because I’m so focused on my science career goals, I don’t have the financial motivation to seek sponsors.  I’ve decided that this is okay because the truth is, consumerism is not just about what you buy.  It’s about what you want, what you do with what you have, and what you buy.  It’s also about what you don’t want.

Today I thought I’d share with you three things about thoughtful consumerism that I’ve realized lately.  It’s a short list, but I find it very satisfying.  I’m kind of flaky by nature, so this list has a certain intentional quality to it that surprises me. 

* I decided that long skirts are not my style, and I gave my three long skirts to my friend Anne.  It’s freeing to embrace your style and send your seldom-worn clothes on to a better owner.  (A bonus: the skirts look terrific on Anne!)

* I cleaned bottom shelf of my fridge!  I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been to open my fridge to see a spacious, organized shelf of edibles.  You can imagine that since I cook a lot, the fridge is an important appliance, and I hated seeing the chaos inside every day.  Now I have reclaimed some much-needed space and the food storage containers that had fallen out of rotation.

* I realized that I need to be careful about going overboard as a hostess.  My sister visited me earlier this month, and I ended up exhausting myself cooking for the two of us and a Mary Kay party that I hosted.  My exhaustion and lack of a good sweaty work-out led to tears as I sobbed about all the stuff in my life that isn’t going right.  Running is one of the ways that I’m still holding it together, despite the uncertainty in my career and romance, and I went way too long without a good run.  It would have been better for us to eat out if it meant that I could go for a run and skip the dirty dishes.  Sometimes thoughtful consumerism means spending money wisely instead of saving money.

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A few quick blog announcements:

First, I have a few more posts to write about my month of vegan eating.  I know I’ve been slow in wrapping up that project, but I hope you’ll indulge me in a few more posts.

Second, I started writing my post about a vegetarian’s perspective on paleo, and I realized that it would be better for me to write a series of posts on that topic.  I anticipate that I’ll start sharing those posts in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Finally, I’m organizing a project index for some of my old blog posts.  So far, you can find indices for my Specific Carbohydrate Diet Project and The Tandem Posting Project.  I’m working on an index called The Academic Life, and I’ll let you know when it’s up and running.

Have a lovely day, everyone!