I was e-chatting with Dan's sister-in-law, Cindy, yesterday.  We ended the session by talking about how we humans have a propensity to make easy tasks into difficult, complicated ones. 

The two examples we discussed were walking (for health reasons) and flossing (also healthy).  The book she's reading (title escapes me Cindy--help?) talked about how one might build "rules" around walking.  It has to be for at least an hour.  One has to be out of breath.  It has to have uphill, or it has to be flat, or it has to be every day.  When we breach the rules, we fail.  And then we quit.

I'm the floss-avoidance queen.  My rule about flossing is that I have to do it at night before I go to bed.  (I usually fall into bed with a book and remember to floss the next morning...too late, I say, and don't floss.) 

The author's conclusion is that "easy is good."  Keep the tasks simple and they are more likely to get done.  When you repetitively do these simple tasks, they become habits.  I like that perspective. (Think I'll floss right now.) 

That's better.

But what about tasks that are overwhelming because they're not simple?  I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed these days with trying to figure out how to be authentically green.  There's a lot of "stuff" out there on what one should and shouldn't do.  What car to drive (or not).  What bag to use (or not).  Whom to buy from, what to wear, what and how to eat.  Yikes!

I think the solution to this overwhelmed feeling is similar to what I blogged about the other day with golf.  I need to establish reasonable expectations and "play" to them.  It's unreasonable to expect that overnight I would be able to become some sort of environmental guru.  There are too many things to know and too many conflicting reports to "know it all."

On the other hand, it is extremely reasonable to read one green article each week and decide what, if anything, I can do as a result of the acquired knowledge.  It may be that the topic requires more research.  It may be that I think it's a hunk of hooey.  It may be that I can immediately start a green project.

By making the expectation more reasonable, I simplify the task. 

Gradually, I will accumulate knowledge and be able to become something of a minor resource on various green topics...but that's not the goal.  The goal is to live in a healthier relationship to the planet.  And I can do that one article at a time.

It's also going to be healthy to remember the Shames precept: Success and failure are companions.  That way, when I forget to take my reusable bags into the grocery store, I don't have to do a half hour of mea culpas in my kitchen.  I can say, "oops" and remember next time.

Cindy helped simplify things a bit for me on this front.  She said that she and many of her friends have struggled while trying to figure out what green action might be best.  She reminded me that, at least in this case, "some action is almost always better than no action."  So, if I forget the reusable bags, I can at least recycle the single-use bags.  Some action better than none.

So, the greening of Laura continues...one bitty step at a time.

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