Certain Truths

“In the battle between the stream and the stone, the stream always wins — not through strength, but through persistence.”

~ unknown

There are some truths that I learned in my life as I grew up that just stick with me.  The shortest line between two points is a straight line.  Seems obvious, but I have found it to be more than that at times, because I lose my direction, my compass gets stuck.  Another truth that I think of most every day is that  earth has a finite amount of drinking water.  Truly!  At this point, it is you use it, you lose it.  The water cycle we all learned in grade school science class, evaporation, condensation, transpiration and rain makes it look like we are set forever.  Not so.  When it goes it goes.  So, I have a dilemma each time I wash the dishes or run the tap for the shower.  How can I prevent losing this water forever?  I’m not responsible for it all, but I feel I must do something.  Instead of standing over the sink and worrying unproductively on a daily basis I have decided to do this; share the conversation, in a step toward making a larger difference.  

Another truth:  It’s easier to feel bad about not doing things than doing something.  I have read a lot of  recommendations for saving water.  I will put some great links in that have fun diagrams, even games to play to teach kids and grown ups about it, from complicated to simple.  It all takes changing behaviors, habits.  The one I like a lot is putting in a grey water system.  Hmmm.  I’m handy, but…there’s the how-to, the health board stuff…  Maybe I know too much.  Other recommendations: take a shower instead of a bath.  Check, I do this and have got it down to under five minutes.  I can never figure out what others do in the shower for much longer anyway.  Limit watering garden and washing car.  Use grey water if you have it.  That seems doable.  Install a rain barrel.   Ooh, that’s good and possible.  Actually, it fits my techie/sculptor personality.  Rainreserve offers a converter kit to hitch up a 55 gallon barrel to the downspout of your gutter.  The kit is pretty cheap.

For the Change Challenge, I did 2 new things.  I made cottage cheese!  Very cool, very tasty.  I also looked at some anime on the web.  Anime is a kind of Japanese cartoons.  I had a purpose.  One of my young friends is gaga about it.  I wasn't so.

For the next challenge:  a tiny habit change.  Find a very little step toward a bigger habit change and start there.  Seriously little.  For example, I am notorious for leaving my coat on the back of the dining room chair.  This is only the tip of the iceberg in our house.  Clothes not getting where they need to be on a daily basis.  So, my tiny habit, hanging up my coat when I come in the house.