01/04/2026
I cleaned my entire stove inside and out w/out paper towels today. A kind of cherry on top accomplishment of my non spoken goal to not use paper towels; I made in the summer. I didn’t make a big announcement to my family. I just casually said I’m not buying paper towels. Let’s just use these alternative little, reusable cleaning cloths. There was some pushback from the grownup. And we realized wiping and throwing away helps you not see the yuck, helps you clean something well without running 50 times to the sink to rinse and restart. And of course the argument, are you helping the environment if you increase your laundry and water use? Trees vs water. But here’s the interesting thing. We continued to try. And the laundry didn’t really increase and I started to get good at scrubbing with one tool and rinsing a few times with another. And it occupied less conscious mind space. I just cleaned. Here I am today. Thinking how we often don’t think we can achieve something so we don’t even try. We don’t want to upset anyone so we don’t put ourselves out there to be told “I told you so.” We push small wins for the environment out of our lives because we’re too busy to make a difference. Honestly, the only change that matters is the one you make inside yourself. I notice how people are not as pro resolutions anymore at the start of the new year as we used to be because they assume failure and don’t want to be disappointed. The world can be so sad why would we create opportunities to upset ourselves more. So under the guise of accepting who we are without sightseeing higher, we strive less. The pressure to be better is not as fun as advertised. Most of our self expectations are ways we see ourselves through others. But… if you take others out of the equation, what would be the thing you never dared to be? The truth is if you never aspire to be anything you’re still going to grow, learn, become wiser. It’s happening anyway. But if you do choose to challenge yourself, you get to collect these silly wins (and fails). You get to be proud of yourself for something no one else can appreciate but you. You get to clean your stove and feel like a global peacemaker. ☮️
