Sometimes it's not the distance

Today was gray and threatening rain. I was going to go for a 50 mile bike ride but didn't think the weather would hold out. The weather channel and dopler radar were showing recent rain in the area I was going to be traveling to so I opted out of going at all on the trail.

Feeling disappointed I decided to do laundry instead. By the time the first load was completed there still were gray clouds but no rain had come. What the heck? Could I have made it the 50 miles since the rain hadn't shown up here? Could I still? Erg!! I wanted to do my 50 miles but seeing as the clouds were still quite gray I didn't dare take off for that far of a distance.

I had a couple of errands that I needed to do so to make myself feel better I decided to at least attempt to get these done. At the last minute I decided to ride my bike versus driving. Hey that would be good. But one of the errands was to get groceries. This could pose a problem but I'm happy to report that it didn't because I grabbed my backpack and a reusable bag that I had much better intentions of using over the summer than I actually did. See I've got good intentions when it comes to living green, but don't always go as far as I'd like. But here's my aha moment. Sometimes it's not the distance but the steps you take along the way.

It's unrealistic to think that I can totally convert and become a die-hard environmentalist. I am afraid to say I'm a product of our Westernized culture which means I am a consumer. I admire people who can live so green. I have taken several steps towards that direction in purposeful, manageable and realistic measures--and that last one is a great term to use because every little bit really does add up. I recycle probably 80% of the time. I bought a more fuel-efficient vehicle to get better gas mileage. I hang alot of my laundry up to dry. I wash all my dishes by hand and have a great system of conserving water. I try to buy a few organic items and try to make more healthy choices in my diet. Do I still eat chips, french fries and the occasional sweet dessert? Sure I do, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't discount all the times I did make healthy choices.

So today I can pat myself on the back and feel good about some the choices I made. Could I have made more? Probably. But I did all right. Having a limited amount bag space and knowing I was going to be carrying all my groceries home on my back I found I shopped smarter. I didn't buy as much as I probably would have because I knew my space was limited.

I also decided to look through the store ad and use some coupons. I spent 30 bucks and saved over 10, a savings of 25% my receipt said. All right. This is good as I am making only 2/3 of what I normally would this year on sabbatical.

So although I didn't get my 50 mile bike ride in I felt good about my choices:
*I choose my bike over driving to the grocery store.
*I didn't buy as much as I normally would have purchased
*At least one item was organic
*I used coupons and saved 25% (and that doesn't count the savings from chosing some generic brand items and other sale items)
*I brought my own carriers for bringing my groceries home



So sometimes it's not the distance but the steps you took along the way!