Column C
Last week, I had this whole beautifully written post about this concept of seva and selfless service. I spent two solid days on it and I mean it was really great. Inspiring. Heart felt. Vulnerable. A little long winded…but hey that’s me. You name it, and it checked all the blog boxes, and maybe I will share it one day, but for whatever reason, it just wasn’t sitting right. So, I called my friend Carrie, who is a writer and just all around inspiring human of being, and reviewed it with her. She gave me a few pro writing tips and we then proceeded to engage in a fun phone conversation hopping from one tangent to the next like we always do when were together. To the casual outside observer, our conversations might seem a bit chaotic and all over the place, but there is always a vein that runs through them, and that vein is sustainability…how can we be more sustainable? And how can we inspire the other people we love to live a more sustainable life too? This is something we are both super passionate about, because I think deep down with the experiences we’ve had and our current level of awarenesses, we both truly see and know that this idea of sustainability is a great way to live a more connected, healthy, nourishing, and rich life not at the expense of someone or something else…or what I like to think of as a yogic life. Absolutely magical and great in theory, right? #lifegoals as the kids say!
After our conversation and a myriad of other synchronistic events later that day, I finally laid down in bed to read a book by one of my favorite authors Ben Hewitt. “Saved” “A book all about how I quit worrying about money and became the richest guy in the world!” . In Ben’s usual way, I was immediately hooked at the beginning of the book with his down to earth writing style, quirky musings, and enlightening adventures with his Vermont friends…I went to college in Vermont and it still holds a very special place in my heart…but last night I hit the real meat and potatoes of the book where he discusses the history and philosophy behind money. It was eye opening and fascinating to read and see on paper so many of the things I’ve randomly thought about over the years that I had just kind of either conveniently ignored or tucked away to make living in our modern society easier. My husband and I then engaged in a conversation that turned into a bit of a socratic debate about all sorts of fun topics related to money and sustainability, at which point all the events from earlier in the day really came together for me in this one big light bulb aha moment.
I started to wonder, has this whole idea of sustainability that my friend and I love so much, become virtually unattainable in our modern culture? Furthermore, are those gobs and loads of people who walk around with their noses in the air claiming they are more sustainable, reallllly…if we took a hard look at it…as sustainable as they think or portray?
Take for example the soap bars the girls and I made last week. Now by and large most people committed to living a more sustainable life consider a bar of soap to have less of a negative impact on our environment than, for example, a plastic bottle of shampoo, but is it really as friendly as we think? I did a really good job of finding as many “climate friendly” ingredients as possible, however, if I’m being honest, it still created a buttload of waste with all the things I required to be able to make this soap AND knowing what I now know to be true, it used a nearly unfathomable amount of energy and non-renewable resources to create. A couple plastic bottles, gas to get the ingredients shipped, hard earned money that again required energy and gas to be able to obtain, electricity which at my house is not obtained from a renewable source, and sadly the list and rabbit hole could go on and on! Someone will then possibly go on to purchase this soap from me feeling and thinking they did this awesome thing for the environment by buying a locally made “zero waste” item, because this is what we’ve all been led to believe by sustainabilty influencers and other marketers, and the sad reality is it is not. *** (please see note on HSF products below) The reality is that it is a lovely homemade product that I did my best to create consciously choosing ingredients that I felt and a bit naively hoped were more sustainable and at the very least “healthier” for my family and the environment.
And here I sit, gutted, ashamed, and disheartened, because much like many of my homesteading, zero waste, vegan, off grid, and yoga friends, I realize, if we’re being brutally honest with ourselves, we have only effectively moved ourselves from column A to column B. Now I don't want to be too hard on myself here, because column B compared to the mainstream column A does at least put some thought and effort into making better choices for our health and environment, but in all honesty neither column really is that much better than the other in terms of sustainability…and now, the question I am left with is how the eff do I get to column C? You know the column where my family and I are truly living in harmony with nature consuming and creating using only sustainable ingredients? I’ve been trying, really I have, and I know my hippie friends have too, which I guess is half the battle… and while I know I’ve improved over the years and found some good ways like growing my own food, saving my seeds, and amending my soil with my compost…I still have a loooong way to go. AND, on top of all that, like I said, I’m starting to wonder if it is even possible anymore in our modern society to attain the level of sustainabilty that the Native Americans exemplified, or have we become so far removed from these ways, that is it now just some hippie pipe dream that can never exist again?
What I’ve come away with after some really deep introspection and self reflection is this: I don’t know or think it really is possible , but quite frankly I don’t care. I accept that I may not be able to attain or go back to this level of sustainability in our modern culture, but I KNOW that it is possible and vital to my heart and soul’s survival to make a much more concerted, continued, and compassionate effort to move mySelf more and more from column A /B to this allusive column C. To take the blinders off, to recognize in some ways that I am in fact contributing to that which harms mySelf, others, and our environment, and to try my damn best, every day, to make better more informed and honest choices in everything I do. To find and exemplify what modern day sustainability looks like. TO GIVE A SHIT. To not give up when it’s hard, overwhelming, or the answer isn’t clear, but to have the courage to forge a new way when I know that the path I am on, albeit a well traveled, easier, or maybe even a slightly better path than others, is still not the right path. To find my column C and to hopefully inspire you to find and live yours. This is my yoga and this is my yoga practice.
Namaste,
The Dietrich 6
P.S. Stay tuned I plan to share much more of me and my family’s adventures and misadventures towards modern day sustainability and living our yogic life. I see goats, bees, visits to other local sustainable farms, and loads more gardening in our future.
***please note not all HSF products create so much “waste” in fact quite a few create very little, if any, but I want you to know that I do acknowledged that they do and I am actively noting and seeking alternative solutions to make all of the things we consume and create as sustainable as possible here at HSF. I also share this honest and raw info with you as a way to encourage and inspire you to really question whether that “zero waste” , “vegan”, “homestead”, “farmstand” or “locally made” product/produce is as sustainable as you may think or may be lead to believe. Or is it just a column B product that is a bit better for you, but not really better and more sustainable for others or the environment as a whole. I also hope by sharing this it inspires you start to think about ways that you can become more sustainable in your life and/or support others that already are doing this hard work.
LINKS TO INSPIRING PEOPLE MENTIONED IN THIS POST :