Gratitude Journal : Week 19

Seeing the plants thrive. This is the magic of adding home made compost to the soil and watering it with gray water from washing rice/sink. How did zero waste benefit me, you can ask. On the surface, it’s made my life harder. Embracing the normal would have been the path of least resistance. But seeing the natural world around me enter into a symbiotic relationship, is worth it all. “Mottainai feels like sacrifice at first. Then it feels like the only way to live.”

I made a rice pilaf for dinner. He really liked it. I didn’t. When asked, I was honest about it. His reply : “my wife put so much effort into making this food and it’s delicious. You wrote it off in a second. I wish you didn’t”. This man practices gratitude in reference to me and our relationship. Perhaps romance should be measured in these sentiments, not the jewels, the words or the grand gestures.
I discovered a mending community on the blogosphere. They are necessary in my slow fashion journey. There are the antidote to every marketer who tells me that I need more stuff to find happiness and success.
My ex-roommate Jo and I set up a video chat date for every Saturday morning. Due to the climate crisis, we decided not to fly to make the rendezvous. The next best thing ? Teleconference regularly. I am going to do more of this with all of my friends.

Materialism

I am in a love hate relationship with a pair of burgundy oxfords. The “hate” comes from boredom. There is always a shinier pair of shoes that I want on my feet instead of these ones. This pair refuses to age. I can wear them for the next five years straight, without needing another pair of shoes. But I want other shoes. This is a case of investing in quality but not valuing the dividend. This is a case of growing food in your backyard but not wanting to harvest the produce. My goods are made in tune with slow fashion but my mind is still in attuned to fast fashion. The “love” comes from realizing how gorgeous and well made they are. I put them on, and it’s love. I take them off, and I wish I didn’t have them. Then, came along a style muse. Her name is Carolina Ventura. Why do we have style muses ? My answer : To re-invigorate the joy one gets from ones personal style. To provide inspiration when you are in a style rut. To give ideas on pairing clothes you have but got tired of. To help you see the extra ordinary in the garments that you own, but have become ordinary to your eyes. I see how she wears her pair. Its made me want to wear my pair more often.

“… nothing has threatened our ecologies more than affluent consumer culture, by which I mean us: the flying and driving, the eating of meat, the buying of things that we don’t need”. Scientists now resort to begging the 10% of population to let the rest of us live. How am I supposed to feel gratitude ?