Conscious Living

Decade of Action

Each November 14^th, I treat myself to cake and coffee for my birthday breakfast. In the quiet of the early morning, I happily stuff my face while reflecting on the past 12 months. I always come away with the same rumination: it’s so rude how the days are long and jam-packed with 42-year-old responsibilities, yet the years keep on zipping by at warp speed.

Looking in the mirror, I see the years on my face. Looking at my babies, I see the years on them, too. I vividly remember struggling to carry a laundry basket on one hip and my infant son on the other, whispering to the wrapped potato that was my child, life will be easier when you have more neck control.

This is where we all laugh and laugh.

I
was
adorable.

That potato is now taller than I am, and despite having full control of his neck, I can confirm life is noteasier. As my kids get bigger, so do my worries. In fact, one of my new favorite hobbies is inventing things to worry about. When I wake in the middle of the night (which is every night), I imagine different scenarios that make life harder for my children. Oh, the fun my brain and I have at 2am! I’ve been told this is a form of anxiety, and a great coping mechanism is focusing on the things I can control.

Friends, I am a first-born, a teacher, and a mother of three: I WANT TO CONTROL ALL THE THINGS.

Alas, that is not how this life works. My husband is constantly reminding me, “We can only control our attitude and effort,” so when my brain interrupts my REM cycle to again show me stressful “what-if” scenes, I tell it to STFU and instead start thinking purposeful thoughts:

I make mental grocery lists.

I envision my daily walk with a gal pal.

I think of all the little things I can do to help protect a piece of this earth and preserve it for my great grandchildren.

Little (reusable) things make a big difference, especially if you’re like me and the overwhelm of life creeps up on ya when you least expect it. Or, when you’re trying to freaking sleep.

Albeit a series of small gestures, I know I’m doing Mother Earth a solid by packing reusable containers, lunch bags, napkins, and flatware for my kids’ lunches. That gives me peace of mind. Eveelife.com does, too. As an eco-conscious lifestyle platform, EveeLife helps people make more “purpose-full” choices. Committed to a #decadeofaction in thought, word, and deed, EveeLife’s goal is to help conscious consumers spread the word, live their values, and make good on a carbon-free life. Everything from driving electric vehicles to replacing paper napkins with cloth ones is a step in the right direction. That’s why the platform only promotes products, content, and companies that are changing the world for the better.

My 2am anxiety and I appreciate this mucho.

Yes, integrating reusable stuffs into our daily routine does take a little more effort to maintain, but that’s A-OK because those children I’m always worrying about have arms that can wash things. Very convenient!

• Recycling paper, plastic, glass, and cardboard
• Reusing the bags and boxes in which the recycled products are stored and transported to the recycling center. My husband is cheap as hell mindful and oh-so-proud of his giant white recycling bag. Workers at the recycling center compliment The Bag every week…
• Using more natural cleaning products
• Putting those products in glass, refillable bottles
• Cleaning with reusable cloths
• Employing more cutting boards: I used to layer paper towels on the counter to make sandwiches, catch crumbs, etc. I now use cutting boards. Again: a small gesture, but all the small ones add up!
• Planning our driving routes more mindfully to cut down on emissions (and gas!)
• Upcycling materials like newspaper into wrapping paper:

In summary: I can control the food I feed my family. I can control the amount of waste we create. I can control the products we use. These things help our planet, and they also help me sleep at night.

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