Posts Tagged ‘thoughts’
Insight Into the Born Again Green Mind
Posted in Zen Moments, tagged cognitive psychology, consciousness, consumerism, Global warming, green mind, shopping, thoughts, zen on February 10, 2008| 9 Comments »
Birds Moment
Posted in Zen Moments, tagged birds, consciousness, Global warming, nature, thoughts, trees, zen on December 16, 2007| 2 Comments »
Out to get the Sunday papers, I am welcomed by the sound of birds singing high up in the bare trees across the street. Soon I hear a symphony, of birds far and near, competing for my attention. And the thought, what would happen if, one day, all the birds vanished?
Nice Mommy
Posted in Parenting, tagged carbon calculator, ecopsychology, energy use, environment, hot tub, human behavior, Parenting, thoughts on October 20, 2007| 7 Comments »
‘Mom, can we heat the hot tub? My friends are coming over.‘ I said yes at once. And then, almost in the same breath, this whole monologue in my head. ‘Not exactly green. Big time indulgence. Didn’t I go through all those carbon calculators this morning? But then I want to please her, there is no way I am going to say no. I am tired of setting limits. Tonight, I want to be Nice Mommy. The hell with global warming. Plus a couple hours of hot tub are not going to make a difference.’ I can hear Green Guru’s admonitions, ‘You are being a hypocrite. You are all talk. You say you want to be green, but look at you, you can’t say no to her.’ I hear, I know, and there is no way I am not going to be sweet. I bask in the moment. The sound of four girls laughing, talking, in the hot tub.
Mess
Posted in Green Girl Wannabe, tagged climate change, consciousness, ecopsychology, Global warming, human behavior, mess, thoughts on October 6, 2007| 1 Comment »
Every time I look up, the pile of dirty dishes is daring me with all its mess. I worked late last night , and have not yet summoned the courage to clean up. One day’s worth. Where to start? The kitchen is starting to smell. The kitchen is also my favorite workspace. I get lost in the computer for a while. Next time I emerge, the dishes are still there, and the smell, too. I realize the problem is not going to go away, unless I do something about it. The sooner, the better. The hardest is leaving what I am doing, and making my way to the sink. Once I turn on the faucet, I am committed. Of course, if I had not let all the dishes pile up in the first place, I would not have had to deal with such a mess.
I am bringing up the dishes story, because it feels so much like the global warming problem. With one difference. The planet is a big living space, and there are many of us, who do not have to stare at the emerging mess.
Lookout
Posted in Zen Moments, tagged buddhism, consciousness, ecopsychology, lookout, meditation, stewartship, thoughts, zen on October 4, 2007| Leave a Comment »
‘In the Clouds, Sitting Watch Over Paradise‘, the front page article in yesterday’s New York Times, introduced me to the fascinating world of Mike Gates, one of the remaining 800 lookouts in the United States. Mr. Gates lives high up in a shack atop the mountain. His job is to spend most of his waking hours, scanning the Lake Tahoe landscape for possible fire smoke. Like him, I have been spending a lot of my time lately, scanning the landscape, and looking out for evidence. The only difference is, I am looking inside, trying to stay mindful of all the thoughts, feelings, that keep me in a state of Green Girl Wannabe.
Inertia
Posted in Zen Moments, tagged change, consciousness, ecopsychology, environment, force, human behavior, inertia, physics, thoughts on October 4, 2007| 1 Comment »
Definition of ‘inertia’: a descriptive term for that property of a body which resists change in its motion. I feel trapped in my physical body, weighed down by the force of inertia. And you are asking me to change? The law of physics, states that there needs to be a greater external force, in order for me to oppose inertia.
Circling
Posted in Life With Green Guru, tagged consciousness, ecopsychology, environment, human behavior, thoughts, zen on October 4, 2007| Leave a Comment »
Green Guru watches me, and can’t understand why I don’t just act. Why all this need to talk? and think? To him, it looks as if I have been going in circles. He is an adept of the straight way. You set a goal, and you just go for it. I, on the other hand, prefer to walk the path of the spiral, each time coming around to a higher vantage point, with more knowledge, and more conviction. Gestating, preparing to deliver my new green self.
Coming To My Own
Posted in Zen Moments, tagged consciousness, ecopsychology, green, thoughts on October 3, 2007| Leave a Comment »
During my daily walk around the Stanford campus, I was thinking how important it is for me to come to my own conclusions. I’ve got this internal clock, that won’t let me go any faster. That goes for green, and any other color 🙂
What Goes On
Posted in Zen Moments, tagged conscience, consciousness, eco-sins, ecopsychology, environment, human behavior, reusable bags, thoughts on September 25, 2007| 1 Comment »
Waiting in line at Whole Foods checkout counter. Thoughts:
‘Shoot, I forgot the damn bags again. I have the red Trader Joe’s bag in the car. I could go get it. That probably would not be enough for all I got. Plus I am tired. Don’t feel like going back to the car. I really should. (Clerk asks me the ‘Paper or Plastic’ question). ‘Plastic. Lets try to put everything in one bag. The rest I will carry’. Not bad, at least I am limiting the damage. If I had not said anything, it would have been two extra plastic bags for each gallon of milk, and a paper bag for the soup. I give myself a B.’
This is the kind of scenario that plays in my head, over and over again. I am constantly bargaining, berating myself for not being green enough, then I try to make up, some other ways.