Reflections on a Year of Sustainable Steps - The Successes Edition

[Note: I wrote this at the beginning of the year but didn't get it to a polished enough state to post. This post focuses on the main successes and changes I made but I have quite a few thoughts about my year that will hopefully get posted in several installments.]

Well, friends, it's been an interesting year. I tried some new things, with varying degrees of success, and learned a great many things in the process. I just spent some time rereading my posts for the year and it's been interesting to see the progression. In some ways I feel as if I've come so far, and in others I feel like I still have so far to go.

I think the biggest change overall has been in my mindset. I am so much more mindful about the waste I produce than I was a year ago. I notice every time I create any trash and think about ways it could be avoided, this time or in the future. It feels like a really big change, though it has actually come about from a lot of small, pretty simple changes over time. Some of the main changes I've made include:

• Avoiding plastic bags by carrying my own reusable bags for shopping, produce and bulk food - I keep a compact shopping bag in my purse and the rest in my car so that I always have something and often just ask for no bag at all
• Avoiding plastic silverware by carrying my own utensil in my purse. This has expanded to include a collapsible cup with a lid, a reusable ziplock bag and a handkerchief/cloth napkin to avoid plastic cups, takeout containers and napkins/tissues, respectively. 
• Composting has made me very aware of food waste and encouraged me to anticipate it by making sure I'll have an empty container when I know I will end up with something like an apple core or orange peel while I am out and about.
• Avoiding fast fashion - looking for other options in this facet of my life has helped make me more aware of where other products I buy are coming from
• Avoiding paper towels, napkins, plastic baggies and plastic wrap has forced me to find other solutions, mainly glass jars and cloth towels/napkins and rags.
• Recycling everything possible, even tiny scraps of paper has made me more aware of all the things I can recycle.
• Ordering drinks without a straw (I'm still getting used to this one)

I'm definitely still not perfect and I haven't gotten to a place where all of these things are automatic habits. Sometimes I still make more trash than I would like, but I think that just being aware of it is a big step and I know that I am doing better than I used to and way better than average, which makes me feel better. One area where I am slowly starting to improve is on considering the end of life of the objects I acquire. A downside of several of the changes mentioned above is that I've replaced disposable options with reusable plastic ones. This is definitely an improvement overall, but it still creates the problem of what I'll do with them when they no longer function in my life. I find this a bit harder to consider up front, but I'm hoping I'll get better about it over time as some of the other considerations become more natural and require less mental energy.

Reading over my posts, it amused me to see how nervous I was to commit to avoiding fast fashion for an entire year. This has become so natural to me that I don't really intend to ever go back. I may occasionally pop into Target for a specific item when all of my other options have been exhausted, but I don't really see myself going back to frequenting the clearance racks. On the other hand, I really thought that by now I would be almost, if not entirely, zero waste. While I am far closer, I still have a little ways to go and am not entirely sure that this will ever become my norm. 

While I am very pleased with how this year has gone and the changes I have been able to make, it has also been a bit challenging in ways I didn't really anticipate. I am starting to realize that most things in life involve some sort of trade-off and living sustainably is no different. I have not always found it easy to balance it with the other things I value, but that is a whole other conversation for another day. For now, I hope that my posts and journey have inspired you to make at least one change in your day to day. Even a small change is a step in the right direction.

Movement

Hello, friends, it's been awhile. Have you missed me? I'm sorry, I haven't had a lot to share. But I have excellent news for you. I just moved. Which means I'm learning and growing and exploring a new place. Which means I might have stories and ramblings to share. It's ok, you can get a little excited.

Roughly 3 weeks ago I packed up a car and a truck and amazing friends and set out for Washington, DC. Well, technically Arlington, but close enough. The whole process of this move has garnered a wide array of intense emotions for me. Much more so than in previous moves. My younger self was almost exclusively excited about a new city. The logistics were pretty straightforward and an adventure awaited at the other end. What else did I need to know?

Maybe I'm wiser now. Maybe I'm “more experienced.” Maybe I'm just getting old. Maybe my fractured ankle played a part. In any case, this move was very very stressful. I get enough comments from the people around me to make it clear to me that I am doing a great job of continuing to project the confidence and anticipation of my youth. They tell me how scary or stressful or hard it would be for them to pick up and move far away and they are amazed that I just do it. And the thing is, it's scary and stressful and hard for me, too.

The unknown is always scary and moving halfway across the country or the world is a huge leap of faith. You have to trust that you won't hate the city, or your job, and that you'll be able to make friends and get what you need and find a new house and a doctor and a gym and figure out ALL THE THINGS. You can't know how it will work out and for me that uncertainty has been TERRIFYING and very very stressful. I do think that recovering from a fractured ankle has added a huge layer of complexity and anxiety for me this time, but it's always a bit scary.

However, I've done this enough times now to also know that it'll probably be fine. Things will work out, I'll get what I need, I'll figure it out. It takes time, and it never happens the way I expect it to, but it happens. And then I get to explore this new place and learn new things and grow a bit and it's worth it. And I think that's worth saying. I'm not immune to the hard parts. I recognize that there's a possibility that I'll hate it. That maybe it will be terrible and I'll want to leave in a year. But, that's ok. Even if that happens, I'll have grown as a person. I'll have experienced something new and learned something about myself and this place and the people that live here. And that, to me, is worth the risk. That's how I want to spend my life - growing and learning and exploring. Everything else is just details.